Camp Nightmare
by An Emo and A Nerd
Summary: The Fablehaven crowd goes undercover at a summer camp! Lost of adventure and excitement, a little romance (Bracken x Kendra, Warren X Vanessa), and of course team/family bonding! Summer camps can be rough, but will Camp Nightingale (coded by Vanessa as Camp Nightmare) prove to be too much for some of the group? Written by Nerd
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I don't own Fablehaven or any of the characters (which you obviously know because I am not Brandon Mull), and as much as I wish I had Brandon Mull's writing skills, alas, I don't. But I hope you enjoy this story all the same!**

Kendra knew something was wrong when she walked into her grandfather's study to find everyone assembled. Everyone. Seth, Stan, Ruth, Warren, Dale, Elise, Trask, Tanu, and Mara lounged on the mismatched furniture in the larger room. Kendra tried to ignore her fluttering heart and warm cheeks when she glanced at Bracken, sitting on a couch in between Warren and Seth. He stopped mid-laugh when he saw her entering the room. Suddenly self-conscious, Kendra looked away quickly and hurried to sit next to Vanessa.

"Sorry I'm late," Kendra apologized.

Vanessa slid over to make room for Kendra, smirking slightly. Kendra knew her friend could see right through her. But if Vanessa gave her any trouble Kendra would have no problem bringing up the numerous glances Vanessa made at Warren, or the way Warren's ears turned pink whenever someone noticed him looking at Vanessa (which Kendra knew happened when her older cousin was embarrassed).

"You're fine, dear," Her grandpa assured her. "I called you all here today because we have a mission sanctioned by the Knights."

Kendra raised her eyebrows. Everything had been pretty quiet lately, so she was surprised to learn that there was a complication. She had been enjoying her first week of summer and a mission-less past few months, but she should have known the break wouldn't last long.

"There is a summer camp going on in Missouri that has been facing some difficulties," Stan continued, "Animals in the woods surrounding the camp have been rather vicious and cruel lately, putting the campers in danger. There was talk of shutting down the camp, but then the situation came to the attention of a Knight whose niece is a counselor there, and now it has been brought to us."

Seth rolled his eyes. "So some of the animals are getting dangerous. Isn't that a job for animal control, not the Knights?"

Stan frowned slightly. "Usually, yes. But this Knight has reason to believe that the animals aren't animals at all, but rather dark creatures like the kind you would find here at Fablehaven. Naturally, the campers would see aggressive animals instead of a goblin or troll."

"Has anyone gotten hurt?" Bracken asked, concern etched into his face.

"Not seriously," Ruth amended, "But one camper who got separated from the group during a hike fell down a hill under suspicious circumstances and broke her wrist."

Stan nodded. "We are being sent in for reconnaissance on the camp and the surrounding woods. It is deeply concerning that dark creatures may be on the loose, free from a preserve."

"Reconnaissance?" Seth asked, "As in spying? Will we get to wear cool tactical gear with infrared night vision binoculars and comms?"

Stan grinned. "We won't be performing that kind of reconnaissance on the camp. All of us will be going deep undercover. Seth, Kendra, Bracken: you all will be undercover as campers at the camp. The ages of the campers range from sixth grade through seniors in high school, so you should fit in nicely. The rest of us will be in management or counselor positions."

"When do we leave?" Kendra asked.

"You will have tonight and some of tomorrow to pack. Tomorrow afternoon, we fly to St. Louis and should arrive at the camp around bedtime."

"Kind of short notice," Dale complained.

"Don't mind him, he just has a lot of beauty products he needs time to pack," Warren joked, grinning at his older brother.

Stan smiled at the group. "I have no doubt that this will go smoothly. I'll tell the adults their specific positions now, so if any research is needed they can prepare adequately. I will be the head of the camp. Ruth will be running the kitchens, as we will need her delicious food to get us through the mission," The group murmured their agreement.

"Mara will be in charge of the stables and aquatics department. Elise will lead the arts department: crafts, painting, music, and the like. Trask, you will run the sporting center as well as the zip-lining and rock-climbing structures. Tanu, you will head the botany and nature exploration department, along with Dale. Tanu, if there are magical creatures in those woods you will have to monitor the effects on the vegetation, and possibly scope for potion ingredients.

"Warren and Vanessa, you guys will be counselors. Counselors basically travel to all of the activities with their group of kids, and you will be in the best position to monitor the campers for signs of change in them. Vanessa, the campers go on hikes in the woods, which is when your specialty in magical creatures will come in handy."

Grandpa paused, scratching his head. "Everyone understand their assignment? No questions? Okay, well everyone get packing. We'll all sleep here tonight, so everyone will be ready for tomorrow. Bracken, Mara, Elise, and Trask, there are extra bedrooms for you to sleep in. And I trust that everyone will sleep in their own rooms tonight."

Kendra felt her cheeks blaze a bright red. It took all she had to not look at Bracken, and she forced herself to examine her nails in disinterest. That comment wasn't directed at her, was it? It could have been directed towards everyone. She really wanted to look up to see if Bracken was affected by the comment as much as she was, but that would require her looking at him in front of everyone and everything was just so complicated! They weren't dating, but they spent some time together as friends. She still had feelings for him, but she wasn't sure if he even liked her anymore. He was a prince! He could do way better than a teenage girl, even if she was fairykind. Besides, he rarely visited Fablehaven even though the fairy realm had been completed.

So no, grandpa's comment definitely couldn't be about them.

* * *

While heading up to her room to pack, Kendra heard Bracken call her name. She turned, finding him standing in the doorway to the extra bedroom he had claimed. "Can you come here for a second, Kendra?" He asked, motioning to his room.

Kendra nodded and followed him into his room. He left the door open and sat down across from Kendra on the bed. "What's up?" Kendra asked, fiddling with a loose thread on the comforter.

Bracken's startling blue eyes bore into hers. "How do you feel about the mission?" He asked gently.

Kendra sensed that this wasn't the question he intended to ask her. "The situation sounds pretty scary, but it's important we help the campers. They shouldn't be in danger. Plus it's not like I'm alone. I have people going that will keep me safe as well."

"Warren says your training is going well."

Kendra wanted to ask Bracken why he asked Warren about her, but she just shrugged. "It's alright. I'm pretty terrible with a bow and my fists, but with swords and knives I'm not so bad. I like the training Tanu is giving me more, about healing. I wish I knew more defensive stuff."

Bracken brightened. "I could help you learn defensive magic. My mother and I aren't sure how much magic you can actually perform, but your potential is astounding. I realize I haven't been here to help recently, but at camp we can train together. If you want to, of course."

"Where have you been lately?" Kendra asked. "I thought once the fairy realm was finished you'd be around a lot more. I- _We_ barely see you once a month."

Bracken leaned toward Kendra and took her hand. Kendra let him take it, enjoying the comfort in the simple gesture. "Believe me, Kendra, I've tried to come back here much more than I have been. It seems like every time I plan a trip back here to see you, I get pulled into helping another sanctuary or get tasked with a mission from my mother. I want to help, of course, but I've missed you."

Kendra didn't know whether to grimace or to smile. Being with him was so confusing. He left for months at a time, then talks about how much he misses her! "I've missed you a lot, Bracken. And I'd love to train with you at camp."

Bracken smiled hesitantly, then bit his lip. "There's also something else I've been meaning to ask you…" He began, eyes darting from the bed to Kendra and back again. "I know a year or so ago we talked about us, and decided we weren't ready for a relationship. But if I'm being honest, these months away from you were terribly hard."

Bracken took Kendra's other hand in his, so that he had both of her palms in his. "Kendra, the time away from you made me realize how strong my feelings are for you. And I've decided that when this mission is over, I'm going to stay here at Fablehaven. I've cleared it with your grandparents, and I hope that you're okay with me staying here."

Kendra didn't know what to say. She sat on the bed, motionless and in shock. Was this real?

Bracken squeezed her hands and continued, "I'm staying for you, Kendra. I'm choosing you. And if you need more time, then I'll wait for you, as long as it takes. Unless… unless you don't feel the same way-"

Kendra slowly pulled Bracken's hands toward her until he inched forward on the bed, curiosity in his eyes. She smiled, releasing his hands and tucking herself close to his chest, arms wrapped around his back in a hug. "I think that we would make a great us, Bracken. And if you're ready, I'm ready," She reassured him.

"We're going to make an amazing us." Bracken agreed, pulling her closer to him. Somehow his chin fit perfectly on top of her head, and when she was pressed this close against him he could feel her heartbeat thumping through her chest.

They only broke apart hastily when they heard Tanu and Stan's voices coming closer to their room as they were walking in the hallway.


	2. Chapter 2

"How many pairs of pajamas did you pack?"

"Six."

"Six?!"

"Yes, Seth, I packed six."

"Aren't there washers and dryers at camp?"

Kendra rolled her eyes at her younger brother. "Yes. But brownies don't clean up for you at camp, and you technically don't know grandma so she won't be doing your laundry. You'll have to do all of your chores, for once in your life."

"That sounds like torture… do I have to sleep with underwear on?"

Kendra threw her arms in the air and quickly left the attic, already having triple-checked her suitcase. Last night she had made a quick list of all the stuff she needed, so it only took a half hour to get packed. She was completely ready to go to camp.

She somehow found herself standing in the doorway to Bracken's room, watching him as he packed his stuff. He folded his shirts so meticulously, making sure each sleeve was perfectly lined up. It was extremely adorable.

He only realized she was there when he turned around to grab another pair of shorts from the closet. "Hey, Kendra," He said, his mouth instantly turning up in a smile.

Kendra walked toward his side at the center of the room. "You almost ready?" She asked, peering at his suitcase.

"Yes. I just have to borrow a few toiletries from Warren because I'm afraid I left my toothbrush in the fairy realm."

Kendra stared at him. "So it is true. Unicorns brush their teeth. Or were you being sarcastic?"

"I was being serious." He insisted, chuckling. He pulled her into a tight hug and kissed the top of her head. "I'll be right back. I have to go find Warren."

They heard a cough from the door and turned in sync to find Vanessa leaning against the door frame. "Seth owes me ten bucks." She said, grinning at the pair.

Bracken tensed next to Kendra, the rivalry still pretty intense. Kendra intertwined her fingers with his and squeezed his hand. "You made a bet with my brother about Bracken and I?" She asked, incredulous.

Vanessa's grin widened. "Yep. The little chump made the mistake of correcting me when I said that you two would be together before we even got to camp. He thought you were so shy it would take much longer. In the end, _siempre tengo razón._ "

Bracken was clearly disturbed that bets were taken about their relationship. "I can't believe you're making money over personal matters." He objected.

Kendra nodded. "He has a point. We aren't taking bets over when you and Warren are going to get together," She pointed out with a slight smirk.

Vanessa's cheeks reddened just the tiniest bit. Her artistically applied makeup almost hid the blush, but not quite. "Warren and I are just friends, Kendra." Vanessa said.

"Yeah, right," Seth's voice called from farther down the hallway. He must've been walking down the steps from the attic. Within moments he joined Vanessa in the doorway. "Warren and you are just friends. I'm a talking doorknob. Kendra's actually the unicorn, and Bracken is secretly a demon in disguise. These are all things that are so wrong they're funny."

Vanessa scowled. "You owe me twenty bucks. Pay up."

Seth pulled a twenty dollar bill out of his back pocket, shrugging. "Fine. But I'll win the other bet we have about them."

Before Kendra and Bracken could grill the pair about the other bet, they were gone.

* * *

Kendra managed to sit between Bracken and Warren on the flight to St. Louis. The problem was, she couldn't hold his hand or be all cuddly because the other adults didn't know they were dating yet. Vanessa and Seth wouldn't tell. The plan was to reveal their relationship at camp, when all of the adults would be undercover and couldn't do anything about it without potentially threatening the mission. Seth came up with it when Kendra expressed her concerns about the others' reactions to her relationship.

The conversation between Bracken and Kendra remained clipped and civil with Warren on Kendra's right. Warren peppered Bracken with questions about the missions he went on until Kendra fell asleep, _accidentally_ with her head resting on Bracken's shoulder.

When Kendra woke up and politely apologized for falling asleep on Bracken's shoulder, they had arrived in St. Louis. She fell asleep once again in the car on the way to the camp, this time with her head resting on Warren's shoulder. Bracken was in one of the other cars. They had to take many, because they weren't supposed to know each other yet.

After she woke up, she stared out the window as they drove quite a ways through the woods. The road reminded her of the road leading to Fablehaven. A thick swath of trees bordered the road on either side, making the road pretty dark in what was left of the sunlight.

They drove through a wide-open iron gate, suspiciously like the one at Fablehaven, and then down a thinner, one-way road to the heart of the camp. An arch that they drove under had a sign that read:

Welcome to Camp Nightingale

When Vanessa muttered from the front seat that Camp Nightingale was as basic of a name as you can get, no one disagreed with her. " _Un nombre mejor es el Campamento Pesadillo_." She added in rapid-fire Spanish.

"Do you know Spanish?" Seth whispered to Kendra from her left.

"Not very well. You know I only got to Spanish 3 before we started being homeschooled." She told him. Trying to recall what Vanessa said and separating the words, she bit the inside of her cheek. "She said a better name is something camp. I don't recognize the other word."

Warren leaned closer, grinning. "Not bad, Kens. She said 'A better name is Camp Nightmare.' Always cheerful, isn't she."

"I didn't know you knew Spanish!" Seth exclaimed.

Kendra saw Vanessa smile in the rear-view mirror. "I've been giving him lessons. He's a fast learner."

Seth and Kendra exchanged a knowing glance.

When Vanessa slowed the car to a stop, she got out of the car with Warren. Warren told Kendra and Seth to stay in the car until they got everything worked out with the staff on hand. Kendra and Seth had different names while at the camp, but while undercover they were still brother and sister. Warren was their cousin, and while undercover Vanessa was an old coworker, which explains why they all showed up in the same car.

Seth broke the heavy silence that had ensued in the car. "So have you kissed Bracken yet?"

"Seth!" Kendra exclaimed.

"What? I'm just curious. When you two were a thing right before Zzyzx you never kissed, so have you done it yet?"

Kendra stayed silent. There was no way she was going to talk about first kisses with her brother.

"It would really help me if you kiss within the next three days. Otherwise I have to give Vanessa another twenty dollars." Seth revealed.

Kendra rubbed her face with her palms. "I can't believe that you and Vanessa are taking bets on my love life!"

Seth raised his eyebrows. "So you love him?"

"No! I mean, I don't not love him, but I don't love him either… it's complicated, Seth. We're taking things slowly." Kendra would give anything to be anywhere else right now.

"So you haven't kissed yet?"

"Drop it, Seth." Kendra commanded. Just as she was about to open the car door and leave to find Warren or Vanessa, Warren came walking out of a huge, mess hall-looking building towards the car. When he reached Kendra's side, he pulled open the door.

"Looks like everything's good to go. With a little smooth-talking on my part, I arranged for me to be the counselor of your group, Seth, along with Bracken. And Kens, Vanessa is your counselor. So we'll be with you all day and all night."

Kendra knew Warren said it to make her feel safer, but she was a little disappointed. If Warren and Vanessa didn't approve of her and Bracken, they could make it really hard for them to spend any time together. Vanessa seemed supportive so far, but would it continue?

Warren helped Kendra out of the car, then did the same with Seth. "What are your names?" He quizzed them.

"Kenzie Soundersin." Kendra said, walking around the car to open the trunk.

"Spencer Soundersin." Seth said. "Which was way better than what they had planned for me. Sergio Soundersin? Who do I have to thank for coming up with that nightmare?"

Warren chuckled, moving to the trunk to help take out the bags. "Me, actually. Would've been hilarious for you to find out your name when it was too late to change it. You just had to look through the falsified birth certificates early, didn't you?"

Seth threw an elbow out to catch Warren in the abdomen, but Warren easily maneuvered around it. "I would've murdered you."

"That's cute. You would've tried."

Kendra grabbed her two suitcases and started towards the building Warren walked out of, where Vanessa was now beckoning to her. Grinning, Kendra called behind her, "Hey Warren! Vanessa wants to know if you'll grab her suitcase for her!"

It was extraordinarily funny how fast Warren jumped to complete the task.


	3. Chapter 3

Kendra woke up early the next morning, neck stiff from sleeping funnily. When she opened her eyes, she saw the cause of her pain. Her pillow had fallen into the crack between her bed and the back of one of the other girls' dressers. "I already hate this camp." She muttered under her breath.

Squinting in the bright light filtering in through the windows, she looked around the room. When Vanessa and Kendra had made it to the Turtle Cabin the night before, it was almost ten o'clock. The Turtle campers were asleep, and although Kendra could see in the dark she plopped onto the nearest open bed and fell asleep. Vanessa took the bed closest to the door, relieving the temporary counselor of her duty.

Now that she was fully awake, Kendra could see that the room wasn't huge, but it fit the nine beds comfortably. Only two beds were left empty. At the foot of each bed was a dresser for each of the girls, and on the side of each bed was a nightstand. There was a door that presumably led to a bathroom, and the walls above each occupied bed were decorated with pictures and posters.

Two other girls appeared to be awake. A strawberry blonde haired girl was sitting in the corner of her bed against the cabin wall reading a book, and a short-haired brunette was laying down playing on her phone. How, Kendra had no clue. The service out here must be terrible.

The blonde noticed Kendra staring and smiled, hopping down from her bed and quietly making her way over to Kendra. "I'm Lili!" She whispered energetically, holding out a hand.

Kendra shook her hand politely. "I'm Kenzie." She said, remembering to use her fake name.

The girl tilted her head curiously. Her brown eyes swept over Kendra, analyzing her. "So, what made you show up so late at night? And a week into camp, nonetheless." She asked.

"I went on vacation last week, so I couldn't make the first week of camp." Kendra replied automatically. "But I heard that some freaky things happened here, so maybe it was a good thing I'm late."

Lili leaned in conspiratorially. "Yeah. That poor Genna girl claims she saw some stuff in the woods, and some of the animals have been acting freaky lately. But they told us yesterday we were getting new staff and a new head of camp, so I'm sure things will be okay."

Lili dropped her voice to even more of a whisper, glancing over at the bed on on which Vanessa was sleeping. "That's our new counselor. But you already knew that because you guys arrived together, didn't you?"

Kendra smiled hopefully not-suspiciously. "Yep! I came to camp with my brother, and my cousin just got a job as a counselor here so he drove us. She's an old coworker of my cousin's, but I didn't know her until I got in the car with her."

Lili rubbed her eyes. "I hope she's cool. Our last counselor freaked out at the whole Genna incident. She thought she was going to get in trouble for losing a camper…"

"Wait," Kendra interrupted, "Genna was in this cabin?"

"Yeah," Lili said, "But now she's in the med bay. She should be rejoining us in a couple of days. She's absolutely adorable. Gonna be a sixth grader, so she's barely old enough to be at this camp."

Kendra filed away the information. "What grade are you going to be in?" She asked Lili, hoping for a potential friend at the camp. Bracken and Seth had each other, and Warren was there if they needed him, but being too friendly with Vanessa could make the girls wary of her. And she needed information, so she needed the campers to trust her.

"I'm going to be a sophomore at Visitation Academy, in St. Louis. What about you?"

"I'm going to be a sophomore, too. I live in Connecticut."

"That's awesome!" Lili whispered, glancing around at the still-sleeping girls. She checked a watch on her wrist. "It's 6:15. Usually we wake up around 7, maybe 7:15, and go to breakfast when it starts at 8. If you have any questions, let me know! I came to this camp last year, so I pretty much know the drill. But I'm at a really good part of this book I'm reading. Nice to meet you, Kenzie!" With a little wave, Lili bounced back to her bed and resumed reading.

Kendra took a measured breath. Sometimes intense, unfamiliar situations like these made her freak out. The logical portion of her brain told her that she was safe. None of her friends and family members would let anything happen to her. But that wasn't what her brain was fixating on. Kendra had been homeschooled for the past year, and hadn't been around people her age for a while even before the homeschooling started. She sometimes acted so awkwardly in social situations, and didn't want to make a fool of herself or worse: somehow ruin the mission.

Kendra exhaled slowly. When her brain started going into overdrive at home, she would listen to music or write down what she was feeling. But she forgot her journal and was sure her Spotify account wouldn't work in the middle of nowhere, so she just needed to remove herself from the situation.

Calmly, Kendra hopped down from her bed and started taking even steps to the bathroom. As she passed the brunette's bed, the girl who was formerly playing on her phone grabbed her forearm. Kendra almost screamed but managed to bite her lip, turning to face the girl.

She looked younger now that Kendra was closer. Her eyes were strangely colored, a blue so deep and dark they were almost purple. Freckles dotted her cheeks, and as she stared at Kendra Kendra noticed a tiny scar cutting through the middle of her eyebrow.

"Are you okay?" Kendra asked, lifting the arm the girl held tightly. If needed, she could forcibly pull this girl's hand off of her arm, but something in the girl's innocent eyes made her pause. "What's wrong?"

The girl's eyes widened, darting to the door. "You're new. Get out of here. Now, before they trap us in. You have to leave! You're running out of time!"

They girl's voice had gone from barely over a whisper to a loud shout, waking most of the other girls. Vanessa was by Kendra's side in an instant, tearing the girl's hand off of Kendra's arm. Kendra maneuvered around Vanessa trying to place herself in between Kendra and the girl, trying to maintain eye contact.

"What do you mean?" Kendra asked. Her heart was racing at the burst of adrenaline coursing through her bloodstream. "Who's going to trap us in?"

Suddenly blackness pooled in the girl's eyes as her pupils seemed to enlarge, engulfing her irises. The girl's eyes broke away from Kendra's and settled on Vanessa. After studying the blix for a moment her face curled in fury until it went slack. Without warning the girl slumped onto the bed, one of Vanessa's darts pricking her arm.

* * *

"Her name was Eva-Marie." Bracken told Kendra gently, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders. Ever since speaking with the girl Kendra's skin had broken out in goosebumps that wouldn't go away. A chill constantly seemed to be curling around her spine, jarring her into a numb and frozen state at random moments.

"This isn't unheard of, for a creature of the light's experience with unnatural darkness. It's normal to feel cold, numb, and distressed. Your brightness has dimmed quite significantly, but in a few hours you should feel normal." Bracken assured her, pressing a mug of warm hot chocolate into her hands.

Kendra only stared blankly at him, wondering what was happening behind the wooden door to her left. They were sitting in the mess hall at one of the tables just outside the main office of the camp. Her undercover friends and family had gathered in the office to talk about the morning's events, somehow coming up with a plausible excuse for their absences. Kendra was left out of the discussion.

Bracken seemed to read her mind. "They're just speculating about what could have happened. You were the only one who talked to her, but they thought you needed a few hours before speaking about it."

Kendra blinked, eyes fixating on the floor. When she had looked into the girl's eyes, when they became pits of blackness somehow reaching out to her, a warning bell started ringing wildly inside her head, her instincts telling her that this was deeply wrong. It was indescribable, the sense of loneliness and pain and anger and pure darkness transferred through that look. Her body and mind seemed to recoil from it, and the girl had seemed to recoil from her, turning to Vanessa instead. How Vanessa withstood the darkness enough to poke her with a sleeping dart was beyond comprehensible.

"Hey," Bracken said, fingers tilting Kendra's chin up so she was forced to meet his gaze, "Look at me. You're safe. You're going to be okay."

Staring into his piercing blue eyes, her goosebumps faded. The chill seemed to unclench from her spine and fade away, taking the numbness and dark emotions with it. "There's my girl," Bracken said, eyes crinkling at the corners when he smiled.

Kendra's sense of purpose had returned as the numbness subsided. "Where's Eva-Marie? Is Vanessa okay?" She stood up, the blanket falling off of her shoulders as she turned to the office. "We should go in there, I need to tell the others about-"

"Hey, hey, hey. Relax, Kendra."

Kendra heard the scrape of the bench against the floor as Bracken stood. His fingers slowly worked in circles around her shoulders and the base of her neck, making Kendra lean in to his touch. She shivered, her skin chilled.

"You're cold again," Bracken pointed out.

His hot breath against her neck did nothing to ease her chills. She turned, looking up into his eyes. "This has nothing to do with earlier." She said simply, suddenly realizing how close her face was to his.

Bracken's face seemed to drift closer to hers as his hands settled on her waist, and she closed her eyes. Was he going to kiss her? She felt a sinking feeling of disappointment when Bracken quickly jerked back, pulling his hands off of her hips and behind him.

She turned and opened her eyes just as the door to the office finished swinging open. Tanu stood in the doorway with his hand on the handle, smirking slightly as he stared at the space between Kendra and Bracken. Which wasn't much. "We thought we heard her talking out here, and figured now is as good of a time as any to discuss what happened. If she's feeling up for it."

Bracken opened his mouth, probably to protest, but Kendra beat him to it. "I'm fine. Let's go."

Tanu nodded and held the door open for the pair as they walked in the office. It seemed a lot bigger on the inside then it looked on the outside. It was obviously cabin-themed, with a huge pair of antlers and taxidermied animals mounted on the walls. Elise looked a little nauseous. There was a wooden desk in front of a huge armchair in which Stan was sitting, as well as multiple leather couches and chairs the rest of the group was sitting on.

Everyone looked at Kendra in concern as she settled onto the last empty couch. "I'm feeling a lot better," She assured everyone before they could ask.

Vanessa tilted her head at Kendra. "You look a lot better than you did after you fainted. For a split second I thought I stuck the dart in you instead of the girl."

"Why don't you tell the whole story, Kendra," Her grandfather asked her. "Vanessa can help fill in the details."

"I woke up earlier than most of the girls and was on my way to the bathroom…" Kendra began. She recounted the situation as accurately as possible, from the way the girl grabbed her arm to the way her eyes turned black. Vanessa jumped in at her involvement, saying she woke up when she heard the girl shouting.

"I'm surprised anything woke you up, Vanessa," Warren joked, "With all the animals you tend to keep in your room, you usually sleep through everything."

As many curious looks exchanged throughout the room, Warren hastily added, "I would assume."

As Kendra and Vanessa finished, the room was silent for a few moments. Then Bracken spoke up. "I have a theory."

Stan waved a hand. "I'm sure there are many of those running through our heads, but since you have the most experience with darkness, go on ahead."

Bracken sighed, looking at Kendra. "I would venture to guess that Eva-Marie was under the control or influence of a very powerful dark creature in the woods. If I had to bet, I would say that this creature has the power to transfer their influence through eye contact, which is why when Eva-Marie's eyes grew darker, Kendra felt the touch of darkness. It couldn't assume the control of Kendra because she is fairykind, which makes her a creature of the light. However, it still had various effects on her behavior and well-being."

Many of the adults in the room were nodding. Tanu drummed his fingers on the wooden desk. "How was Eva-Marie placed under the control of this creature? As far as we know, she was acting perfectly normal until she started talking to Kendra. Camp records portray her as an exemplary camper."

No one answered.

After a tense silence, Trask eyed Bracken. "Can you think of any creatures with the ability or power to place another creature under its control?"

Bracken's eyes hardened. He stared at the wall, refusing to meet the gaze of anyone in the room. "Dark unicorns are skilled enough in magic to do this. Even light unicorns could, if they had all of their horns. A demon, depending on its strength, would probably be powerful enough to assume control of humans. Same with dragons."

"If the woods surrounding this camp were inhabited by any of those creatures, wouldn't we know by now?" Seth argued. "I mean, a dragon is pretty hard to hide in the woods, Bracken should be able to sense the domain of a demon, and wouldn't he know if a dark unicorn was on the loose?"

Everyone turned to Bracken for an answer. "I would most likely be able to locate the domain of a demon, if I were close enough. A hike through the woods would resolve that question. And there are known dark unicorns on the loose, but unless they use cleverly shielded magic or are acting in conjunction with another powerful creature, I would most likely be able to sense their presence as well. It is extremely unlikely this is a dragon. Seth's right, dragons are too conspicuous, and most are confined to the sanctuaries, as we know."

The mood in the room had darkened considerably. Then Mara spoke up. "Wouldn't a powerful magical artifact give any creature the power to control other creatures?"

Warren nodded. "I'm no artifact expert, but if I'm not wrong any artifact a quarter as powerful as the keys to Zzyzx would give magical creatures tremendous power. Yes?"

"I believe so." Tanu said.

"Hypothetically, yes." Bracken said.

"I have a question," Kendra interrupted. All eyes in the room swiveled to focus on her. "Eva-Marie looked directly at Vanessa. It seemed to have no effect."

"That's not a question," Seth murmured. Then his eyes widened. "What if Vanessa is under the control of some dark creature right now? And she's just pretending to be on our side so that she can betray us later on? I mean, it wouldn't be the first time, would it?"

Vanessa bristled. "Okay, first of all, ouch. That's hurtful. And second of all, I'm not under the influence of any dark creature! I swear!"

Bracken's lips tightened. "You know there's only one way for us to make sure, Vanessa. We have to make sure."

Vanessa stood up, hands on her hips. "Of course _you_ don't trust me."

Warren, who was sitting on the couch perpendicular to the couch Kendra was on, leaned over to Vanessa and murmured something. Kendra couldn't hear what he said, but it seemed to calm Vanessa down.

"Vanessa, we trust you. This is just an extra precaution. And if you aren't under the influence of a dark creature, you should have no reason to fear this." Ruth soothed her.

Vanessa rubbed her temple with her fingers. "I'm not a fan of people poking around in my mind, okay? Especially not a unicorn."

"That's not fair," Kendra scoffed. "Vanessa, you and Bracken are both essential members of this team. Let the rivalry die, at least between you guys. We all need to work together to get through this."

Vanessa hesitated, but let Bracken walk over to her and take her hand. In the quietness, Seth stage-whispered, "Kendra, you should become a motivational speaker."

"Shut up, Seth."

After an uneasy minute, Bracken released her hand. "She's clean. Although Kendra's right. She clearly looked into the eyes of Eva-Marie and suffered no negative effects. It doesn't make sense."

"None of this does," Stan sighed, running a hand through his white hair. "We need to get back to the campers. Movie time in the auditorium will only last for so long before news spreads and we have a mutiny of campers on our hands."

Kendra swore she saw her grandpa age five years in that moment. He continued, looking exhausted. "For now, our story is that Eva-Marie is experiencing medical problems and will reside in the med bay. It's not like we can have her parents take her home when she's under the control of a… something. Kendra, if anyone saw you faint, just say it was from shock at what was happening to Eva-Marie.

"The assignments remain the same. We'll still take hiking trips into the woods, but we'll double up on adult supervision. If we stay on the trails, we should be fine. Kendra, Bracken, and Seth: your jobs remain essential. Make friends, gain information."

Trask spoke up suddenly, his booming voice making Kendra jump. Bracken, who had returned to his seat next to her, moved to put his hand on her arm, but caught himself last-minute and quickly retracted his hand.

"Remain focused, but don't get discouraged. We'll handle this, just like we've handled everything else that's come our way." Trask assured them.

"It could be worse," Warren pointed out. "We could be trapped in an underground prison at Living Mirage."

"Or stuck inside a bottle in a gaseous state with an arrow through our abdomens," Seth added, catching on.

"Or contained in shadow form while a shadow plague threatens to destroy Fablehaven," Tanu chuckled.

"Or stuck wandering through the dreamstone at Obsidian Waste," Elise said shyly.

Mara laughed. "Oh, don't remind me."

"I'm sorry, did any of you have to spend weeks at a time in the Quiet Box?" Vanessa proposed, examining her nails.

Ruth scowled, "None of you were trapped in chicken form. WIth your husband _eating your eggs_."

Stan bit his lip. "We could be trapped by the demon Bahumat after a Midsummer's Eve in which the kids didn't do what they were supposed to."

"Or trapped as a stone statue on the lawn because of said Midsummer's Eve," Dale said.

"At least we aren't being kidnapped by an evil lectoblix," Trask said, smiling at Kendra.

Kendra frowned. "Yeah. We could be trapped in a dragon sanctuary with a stuttering traitor demon prince." She spit.

Seth smiled, eyeing Bracken. "Who liiiiiked you," he reminded her.

Bracken looked taken aback. "I'm feeling like there are a lot of stories I have to catch up on, guys."

Kendra patted his shoulder in what she hoped was taken by everyone else as a friendly gesture. "Trust me, it's better not to know."

"Amen to that," Said Warren, shaking his head.


	4. Chapter 4

Kendra was hoping to get to know some of the other Turtle Campers after her grandfather gave his whole "The Camp is Fine Everyone is Okay" speech in the theatre, but before she could make introductions Lili was glued to her side.

"Hey, Kenzie, I know the new director of camp said Eva-Marie should be fine after time in the med bay, but could you retell everything that happened this morning from your point of view?" She asked, twirling the end of a lock of hair around her finger.

The Turtle group started moving towards the exit of the auditorium, under the direction of Vanessa. Lili started walking, and motioned for Kendra to follow. "It's not like I don't trust the director guy, I'm just worried about Eva. She's a good kid, you know. Super sweet."

Kendra tried her best to smile, but it was half-heartedly. "I didn't see much, Lili. I was just talking to her when all of a sudden she passed out. Then I freaked out, and got a little dizzy too. Ms. Van-Victoria handled everything." Using Vanessa's code name threw Kendra off-guard.

Lili nodded. "Well, I'm glad you're okay. You're like the only other girl in this cabin my age. There's Kylie, the senior, but," Lili leaned in to whisper in Kendra's ear, "She totally thinks she's better than everyone. We're going to be like best friends by the time this camp is over!"

After a quick hug, Lili wandered to the front of the line to talk to Vanessa. Kendra didn't mind, and knew it would be amusing when Lili's talkative, bubbly personality clashed with Vanessa's somewhat-surly, easily-annoyed personality.

As they took the path back to the Turtle Cabin where they would prepare for the zip-lining and rock-climbing course, Kendra found herself listening in on a conversation between two Turtle girls walking behind her. A quick glance over her shoulder showed they looked to be barely younger than her, maybe going into 8th grade. The one on the right was tall and gangly, with dark eyes and prominent cheekbones. Her face was framed by a mane of curly black hair. The girl on the left was shorter, with auburn hair. She used animated gestures with her hands when she talked.

"Ethan asked me about what happened on the trail again the other day." The taller girl said.

"What did you tell him?" The other asked, worry edging into her voice.

"What I'm supposed to, of course! I don't want to get anyone in trouble."

"Good. Lili explained that if it got out, there would be way too many questions. They'd look at all of us as suspects, when really Genna's just a clutz."

The tall girl lowered her voice. "Yeah. There's no need for people to get suspicious of Lili, when it was just a coincidence."

The conversation quickly ended when out of nowhere Kendra saw Seth running at her in her peripheral vision. He stopped at her side, throwing an arm around her shoulder with a little difficulty, as he was still a foot shorter. "What's up, sis?"

Kendra sighed, clearly aware the girls behind them were now listening in to her conversation. "Why are you here, Seth? Aren't you supposed to stay by your group?"

"The Koala Cabin is lame. The name makes us sound like wimps. Who in their right mind names a cabin of young men the koalas? They could've named us something cool, like the Wyvern Cabin. Or the Serpent Cabin."

Kendra rolled her eyes. "Koalas are actually really mean, you know. They've been known to go after dogs and even humans."

"I apologize. I forgot I was talking to the walking encyclopedia. Koalas are too cutesy."

"Wait a minute. Did I miss the fact that you just called your cabin a cabin of "young men"?" Kendra scoffed. "Hit puberty, then you can call yourselves young men."

Seth raised his eyebrows. "Are you saying Bracken hasn't hit puberty? I'll make sure to let him know how you view him, just as a boy. Which is a shame, considering his age…" Leaving Kendra to grapple with words, Seth started sprinting back to his group. Glancing over his shoulder, he yelled, "And the downside about naming a cabin the Turtle Cabin is that they're too slow to catch the other cabins!"

Rather than waste energy chasing him, Kendra just sighed and kept walking.

* * *

By the time they made it to archery before lunch, Kendra had made her introductions and knew the names of all girls in the cabin. Including her, there were eight. Kendra had met Lili and Eva-Marie, and had heard of Genna but was unable to meet her because she was still in med bay.

The two girls who had been talking behind her were Evalyn and Lorcie. Evalyn was the taller girl with the black hair and dark eyes. She was going to be a freshman. Lorcie was the shorter one with auburn hair, and was going into eighth grade.

Kendra understood what Lili meant about Kylie when she met her. Kylie was a foot taller than Kendra and had a negative, detached attitude about everything. She sat out of most of the activities, choosing to braid her chestnut hair instead of zip-lining or going to the bathroom to reapply makeup instead of helping to sweep up the dock over the large, circular lake.

The final girl was going into seventh grade, and her name was Herrial. When Lili introduced Kendra to Herrial the tinier girl barely looked at her through her red bangs. Lili reassured Kendra that "Herrie doesn't talk much".

By lunchtime Kendra missed the nap times they used to get in preschool.

"You get used to it," Lili said, patting her on the arm as they guided their trays through the buffet line. "After a few days it'll become routine, and you'll have more energy… ah, don't get the bosco sticks, they taste like uncooked dough."

After sliding various average-looking portions of food onto her tray, Kendra backed out of the line and looked for the Koalas. If asked about who she was looking for Kendra would insist she wanted to check on her brother, which she did, but if she also wanted to sit close to Bracken who could blame her?

After picking out her food, Lili pulled Kendra over to a table in the corner of the mess hall. "Cabins gotta sit together. I don't know who you're looking for, but if they're in another cabin you can only sit with them on Fridays."

"Why Fridays?" Kendra asked.

Lili dug into her nachos. "There are like thirty-something cabins, Kenzie. We eat in three different shifts."

"Hmm." Kendra murmured. She debated about whether or not she should bring up what Evalyn and Lorcie were talking about earlier. If Lili was somehow mixed up in the situation that led to Genna falling down the hill, shouldn't Kendra find out? It could prove to be important information.

"So, Lili," She began, taking a long drink of water. "I overheard a conversation today, and you were mentioned…"

Lili's eyes gleamed. "Ooh! Was it those two boys from Bear Cabin? Or that surfer from Stingray Cabin?"

"It was actually two girls… and they were talking about the day Genna fell down the hill."

Lili's eyes became flinty. "Oh. Were Evalyn and Lorcie blabbing again?"

"No!" Kendra corrected, "They were being really subtle, I was just… eavesdropping."

Lili motioned for Kendra to continue.

"They said that there was some coincidence between you and Genna falling, and that if it got out we would all be looked at like we were suspects."

Lili grabbed Kendra's hand, frowning. "You can't tell anyone. Okay?"

"Okay." Kendra promised.

"It's really no big deal. So the counselors think that Genna was the only one who got separated from the group. But actually, I was with Genna when she was separated. We were hiking on this trail we'd already been on, and I asked to go to the bathroom. Our counselor was kind of a ditz, and she let me go without a buddy, which breaks like one of the most important camp rules…

"Anyway, as I headed back the way we came to make it to the bathroom right at the beginning of the trail, I heard Genna calling for help in the middle of the woods, off the trail. Apparently no one had realized she wandered away during the hike, and I couldn't just leave her there! So I followed the sound of her voice and found her about a three minute's walk off the path. She had fallen and twisted her ankle.

"She swore she knew a faster way back to the end of the trail, and I didn't want to half-carry her all the way back to the beginning of the trail the way I came if there was a faster way, so I let her lead. We ended up getting lost, surprise, and came to a hill. We crested it thinking it would give us a good view, but I let go because she seemed to be walking better, and she stumbled and rolled down the hill.

"Luckily, as our cabin finished the trail, they heard me yelling for help because we weren't that far from the end of the trail. Genna insisted that I circle around the back of the group and pretend like I returned from the bathroom so that I wouldn't get in trouble, because she felt bad. So I did, and in the chaos only Evalyn realized the direction I had come from was the opposite from the bathroom. So I explained to her what happened, and now I've told you. Do you trust me?"

Kendra took a minute to process the story before answering. It was possible that she was telling the truth just as much as it was possible the whole story was a lie. That was the downside of undercover or field work, it gives you really bad trust issues. A few years ago, before Gavin, Kendra would've trusted Lili without a doubt. But now, it was best to be cautious until she could report back to the adults.

"Of course I trust you," Kendra said with a smile. She stared down the table at Vanessa, who was trying to engage Kylie in a conversation, and found herself feeling very alone.


	5. Chapter 5

Vanessa hung back and walked with Kendra to their arts and crafts section after lunch. "You seemed to be getting chatty with Lili at lunch, Kendra." Vanessa commented, keeping her eyes trained on the group ahead of them. Kendra had to admit, she was skilled at leading the cabin.

"I got some useful information," Kendra said simply, knowing Vanessa would be smart enough not to press in public.

"Well, as a reward for your excellent work today, I have a surprise for you," Vanessa said, waving a hand at the art building. "I happen to know the new director of the camp and-"

Kendra snorted, then waved for Vanessa to go on.

"And after a bit of sweet-talking I managed to arrange the Koala Cabin to be our buddy cabin. FOr the rest of camp, they'll do everything with us. For communication purposes, of course." She finished dramatically. "You know, my second calling was a fairy godmother. The least you could do is thank me."

Kendra tried her best to look disinterested. "You act like you did that for me." She accused, eyes narrowed. "We both know that as much as I want to see someone in Koala Cabin, so do you. Yo se que quieres ver tú novio."

Vanessa grinned. "Your accent needs work."

"Maybe you can give me lessons like you give Warren. Wait, actually, I want no part in whatever goes on behind those closed doors."

Vanessa laughed, moving to the front of the group to lead the Turtle Cabin onward.

* * *

It was totally a coincidence that Kendra found herself sitting next to Bracken inside the building. As much of a coincidence as Vanessa and Warren happening to sit together three tables down from Kendra and Bracken. The issue was that Seth sat right across from them.

"So," He said, leaning across the table towards Bracken and Kendra, "Anyone got any information yet?"

Bracken shrugged, picking up the blank CD they were supposed to be turning into a top by coloring and placing a soda can tab in the center. "Nothing important. I've been trying to get a feel for the camp, but we don't go hiking until tomorrow so I'll have to examine the woods closely.'

Seth turned to Kendra. "You?"

"We shouldn't be discussing this right now," Kendra waved, picking out a yellow sharpie.

"So do you have information?" Seth pressed.

"I never said I have or don't have information." Kendra said slyly, knowing it would bother Seth.

But clearly it didn't bother him enough to make him leave. "C'mon, Kendra."

Bracken and Kendra both glared at Seth until he realized his mistake. "Kenzie. I said come on Kenzie."

"Listen, if it'll get you to shut up, I do have some information. I don't know exactly how important it is but-"

"What's going on, Kenzie?" Lili said, sliding in to sit across from Seth.

Kendra tried to stop her face from falling. There goes her alone time.

"So I would assume this kiddo here is your brother," Lili guessed, eyeing Seth. "You two look so much alike!"

Kendra saw Seth fake a gag while Lili focused once again on her. "And who's this?" She asked, waving a hand at Bracken.

"This is Bracken. He's, uh, he's my… my-"

Seth rolled his eyes. "He's her boyfriend, and they're madly in love, so we should probably give them some privacy."

Lili's eyes widened, "That's so adorable! I didn't mean to interrupt." She stood up, grabbing a blank CD. "I'll find somewhere else to work, and I'll catch you at free period later." As Lili walked to find a spot with Evalyn and Lorcie, she gave an approving thumbs up to Kendra. Which only worsened her embarrassment.

Seth, however, did not leave. He looked at them with an innocence so realistic Kendra almost believed he didn't know exactly what he was doing. But he'd gotten into enough trouble to have perfected his wide-eyed naive innocent face. "Aren't you going to keep telling me the information?" He asked Kendra.

"Weren't you going to leave?" Kendra corrected, letting her annoyance resound in her tone.

Seth laughed. "No, I just said that to get her to go away."

"Seth, can't you find somewhere else to sit? If you want to be helpful to the mission, you need to make friends and find out other information to share at the next meeting."

Seth narrowed his eyes, but stood up reluctantly. "I know you just want me to leave because you want to spend time alone. But before you get annoyingly cuddly, let me remind you that Warren is sitting just over there. And you're his baby cousin. There's a good chance Bracken gets beat up if Warren doesn't approve of the relationship." With an eye roll, Seth stalked away to sit at a table with two other Koala campers.

As soon as Kendra's eyes met Bracken's, she burst out laughing.

"What?" Bracken asked, smiling at the sound of her laugh.

"I'm imagining Warren trying to beat you up," Kendra admitted, covering her mouth with her palm.

Bracken chuckled, which made Kendra laugh harder and soon they were both cracking up with their arms wrapped around their stomachs. Kendra wiped a tear off of her cheek, then noticed Bracken was staring strangely at her.

"What?" Kendra asked self-consciously, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"It's nothing. I just missed your laugh."

Kendra smiled, feeling her cheeks tinge pink. Bracken scooted closer and grabbed her hand, holding it under the table as they worked on their CDs. During the art course, Kendra smiled so much her cheeks were sore afterwards.

* * *

"Are you ready?" Bracken called from twenty feet across the deserted field.

Kendra closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm ready," She called back.

After the art session, both the Turtle Cabin and the Koala Cabin had free time. With permission from a counselor, the campers could go anywhere as long as they went with a buddy. After explaining that Bracken was going to give Kendra a magic lesson, Vanessa let her go after giving her instructions to the farthest, rarely-used field. "Be alert, and not only for danger. Watch out for exploring campers. They won't be able to see the magic you're performing, but they might see some weird things you'll have trouble explaining." Vanessa had instructed.

Bracken had met her on the field and explained the first activity. "It's kind of like a warm-up before working out. You shouldn't have trouble with it, and it's only useful in certain situations, but we have to start with the basics."

Kendra was going to try to increase the brightness magical creatures like Bracken could perceive around her. It would be useful when later learning how to transfer her energy into living organisms. Bracken explained how brightening her aura could also blind magical creatures.

"You got this, Kendra. Just tune into the energy surrounding you, and imagine it brightening. Like turning on a light in a room." Bracken encouraged.

"Like turning on a light." Kendra repeated, closing her eyes again. She had tried meditating throughout the past few months, after on one of his short trips back to Fablehaven Bracken had recommended it. She had been so terrible. No matter how many apps she downloaded or articles she read, she struggled with focusing.

Trying to make all outside noises fade, Kendra reached out with her mind, searching for her aura of energy. After what felt like minutes, Kendra was able to calm her mind from distractions enough to sense the energy ring around her. Envisioning light filling a dark room, she felt a swooping feeling deep in her stomach and opened her eyes.

Bracken was across the field, shielding his eyes with his hand and looking at the grass.

"How did I do?" Kendra asked, hoping his averted eyes was a good sign.

"Remember how when I first met you in the dungeon, I told you that your brightness blinded me?" He said loudly.

Kendra nodded, then realized that he wasn't looking. "Yeah?" She said.

"Then, it took my eyes a few minutes to adjust. But now, I don't think my eyes could ever fully adjust. Great job, Kendra! Um, can you tone the brightness down now so I can look at you again?" Bracken asked.

Kendra closed her eyes again and focused much quicker than she did a few moments ago. As she imagined a light turning off in a room, she heard Bracken start talking. She tried to pull herself back into reality but was drawn to a strange, powerful energy source to her left. It wasn't her aura and was too large to be Bracken, who was standing in front of her, not to her left.

The energy source radiated darkness. Kendra felt tendrils of blackness reaching out toward her from the creature. Her aura reflexively brightened again, so that the energy from her body was pouring into the shield of brightness surrounding her. As the spires of darkness reached her they recoiled from the light, and suddenly her vision was tunneling and when she opened her eyes she was on her knees in the grass and Bracken was shaking her shoulders and she couldn't breathe her lungs wouldn't function but then she gasped and air filled her lungs and she was breathing again.

"Easy, Kendra. Breathe. In and out. It's okay. You're okay." Bracken soothed, palm rubbing circles on her back.

Kendra gasped in and out, looking around her wildly. There was nothing to her left but the woods. "Do you… can you sense that?"

Bracken's brow furrowed. "Sense what? Kendra, you dimmed your aura and suddenly it flared brighter than before, and it started flickering. What happened."

Kendra balled her hands into fists to keep them from shaking. "There's something in the woods. I sensed it. It's dark and it attacked me, these tendrils of blackness were reaching out toward me and I had to brighten my aura to keep them from touching me."

Bracken's face slackened. "How far away was it?"

"I'm not sure. Mind distance isn't normal distance. Maybe… maybe a mile in?"

Bracken stood and faced the woods. He didn't close his eyes, but his fingers twitched as if he was pulling at threads. Kendra's back felt cold where his hand used to be.

After mere seconds Bracken frowned. "I don't sense anything."

"I swear, it was huge and powerful." Kendra insisted, trying to stand up.

Bracken shook his head. "No, stay on the ground. I believe you, Kendra. I'm shielding both of us right now." He sighed, looking concerned. "You put so much energy into your brightness on the first day, and that takes energy. I was going to build up your stamina first, with everyday practice. But this… its like you were forced to run the marathon without training at all."

He knelt beside her and placed a hand on her cheek. Kendra leaned into his touch. "You did amazingly well. I'm very proud."

Having Bracken this close to her did nothing to ease her pounding heart. She swallowed, aching for the comfort of an embrace. As she leaned forward, however, Bracken started to lean forward as well. The instant before Bracken's lips touched hers, he stopped and sighed. "Mara's coming."

With a quick kiss on her forehead, Bracken stood quickly. "We're over here, Mara." He called.

A moment later Mara crested the slight hill that lead to the field. "Seth's hearing voices," She called across the field. When she noticed Kendra was on the ground she ran faster, with the inhuman grace Kendra had seen her portray numerous times.

"What happened?" She asked, looking from Bracken to Kendra in concern.

Bracken rubbed his palms down his face. "Long story. Something happened to Kendra."

Mara knelt next to Kendra, letting her lean on her shoulder. "Does this have to do with the mission, or your relationship?"

Bracken blushed. "How did you?... Nevermind, it relates to the mission." He wrung his hands. "I don't think it's a good idea to bring her back to the cabins like this."

Mara took Kendra's hand, the biggest gesture of comfort Kendra had ever seen her show. "We won't," She said, "We're having another team meeting about what Seth heard. And I guess what happened here."

"I'll carry her," Bracken bent down and scooped Kendra up like she weighed nothing. "How are you feeling?" He asked her as they started back to the cabins.

"I'm fine, Bracken." Kendra assured him. "It just shocked me. How come I can sense it but you can't?"

Bracken bit his lip. "It could be because you've had prior contact with the darkness, so that you could find it once again. Or it was drawn to you, as it marked you but could not assume control of you."

"Great," Kendra muttered. "I've been marked. Isn't Seth supposed the be the one that interacts with dark creatures?"

Mara frowned. "She'll be okay, right?"

Bracken readjusted his grip on Kendra cradled in his arms. "She should be just fine. We'll take care of her."

"I'm fine." Kendra insisted. "You can put me down. I can walk."

Bracken smirked. "You're saying you want me to put you down?"

Kendra blushed. "Maybe I would struggle with walking."

"It's better to be safe than sorry," Bracken agreed.

Mara rolled her eyes and muttered something that sounded like, "Heterosexual nonsense."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: This chapter is mostly Brackendra fluff, and doesn't advance the plot much. Sorry. Couldn't help myself. Enjoy!**

"You okay?" Seth asked, sitting next to Kendra on the couch in the office. The meeting with her family in the Mess Hall had just ended, and Kendra needed a minute to just sit and process everything that happened. She urged Bracken to go on, to continue with the days activities and not worry about her. He assured her he'd be waiting outside the office.

Kendra sighed. Her body felt exhausted from supporting the aura shield against the darkness, and she felt embarrassed that it was so hard to keep a ball of light around her. Bracken seemed to do it with ease. "I'm fine." She said, then turned to face him on the couch. "What about you? I mean, hearing voices can't be fun either."

Seth had recounted to the group how he had heard two voices seemingly coming from under his cabin during free time. It surprised Kendra how mature he was in handling the situation. He didn't even speak to the creatures, he ran and got Warren.

"It was pretty awesome, actually." Seth corrected, smirking.

Kendra rolled her eyes and pulled her brother into a hug. "I can't help but wonder if we're going to make it through this camp. We don't even know what we're facing."

Seth abruptly pulled back. "Don't think that way! You killed the freaking Demon King, Kendra. Whatever this is, we'll handle it."

Kendra attempted a smile, which made Seth shake his head. "That's just the darkness talking," Seth said, squeezing her hand. "Now go out there to your boyfriend so his magical light powers will cheer you up. Or maybe you'll kiss, which would win me 20 bucks _and_ make you feel better, so I personally think that's the route to go…"

That drew a genuine smile out of Kendra. "I feel like every time we almost kiss we get interrupted. First it was Grandpa and Tanu back at the house, then it was Tanu this morning, and a little bit ago Mara found us to bring us to the meeting."

Seth wiggled his eyebrows. "I don't see anyone around here now."

"I love you, Seth," Kendre told him, standing up.

"Eww. The monster made you all sappy."

Kendra rolled her eyes again as she walked to the door. As she turned the handle, Seth called, "Kendra?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you, too."

* * *

Kendra felt her eyelids droop. She was sitting with Bracken on a beach towel in the grass, backs up against the wall to the sports complex. Her head rested on his shoulder, and their arms were intertwined. She sighed in happiness.

"So the meeting this morning made me feel like there's so much I don't know about you." Bracken said, resting his head on top of hers.

"Hmm." Kendra murmured. "What do you want to know?"

Bracken thought for a moment. "I want to know everything there possibly is to know about Kendra Sorenson," He finally answered, "We could sit here and talk for weeks, and I would never get bored listening to the sound of your voice."

"Aww. I'm guessing you're curious about the 'trapped in the dragon sanctuary with a traitor demon prince' part?"

"Yeah, a little bit."

Kendra chuckled. She usually hated talking about Gavin, but Bracken put her at ease. She wasn't scared to see his reaction, or worried about facing his judgement. "Do you remember the day that I met you?" She asked.

"Every second."

"Well, I didn't trust you, and you thought it was funny because you could easily tell I was fairykind but I had no way of verifying you were a unicorn?"

Bracken scratched his head. "Yeah. It was frustrating. And?"

"Well, I told you something along the lines of 'Maybe you should stutter and I'll trust you'. Remember?"

Bracken nodded. "Yeah, I actually do remember that."

Kendra smiled. "You'll never believe the guy I met at my first Knights of the Dawn assembly…"

Slowly but surely, Kendra wove the tale of the boy named Gavin who ended up being Navarog the Demon Prince. By the end, Kendra couldn't tell if Bracken was amused or furious. Probably a little bit of both.

"You're telling me that _Narvarog_ , the Demon Prince, one of the most powerful and terrible dragons to ever walk the face of the Earth, _stuttered_ to get you to like him?" Bracken asked, incredulous.

"Yep! And then he was eaten by Raxtus!" Kendra finished.

"Raxtus?!" Bracken exclaimed. "Wow. Good for him!"

Kendra laughed. They lapsed into an easy silence, one that was comforting and natural. That's how being with Bracken felt: natural.

After a few minutes Bracken said, "So tell me more. I want to know all about you."

"Like what?" Kendra asked.

"Hmm." Bracken considered the question. "Tell me five random facts about you."

"Will you tell me five random facts about yourself?" Kendra asked.

Bracken started to play with the ends of her hair. "I'll tell you anything you want, Kendra."

Kendra considered what she should say. "It's hard to come up with stuff on the spot! Umm. Ooh! I played soccer in middle school."

Bracken grinned. "What position?"

"Defender. I was going to try out in high school but I decided with Fablehaven and Zzyzx worries on my mind it would be too much."

"Were you any good?" Bracken asked, smirking.

Kendra playfully smacked him on the arm. "I wasn't the best on the team. I guess I was slightly above average. The only way for you to know is to somehow go back in time and watch me play."

"Well, sewing as we no longer know where the chronometer is, and that I was locked in the Sphinx's dungeon throughout the entirety of your life, I guess I'll have to take your word about your averageness." Bracken joked.

"God," Kendra said, becoming very still. "It's so weird to think about the fact that you've been alive for my whole life. And even worse that you were trapped in a dungeon for it, too."

"Let's try not to think about my age in unicorn years. Focus on the fact that in human years, we're a perfect match." Bracken suggested. "Now tell me fact number two."

Kendra traced circles on his palm while she though. "My favorite candy is Reese's peanut butter cups."

"What?" Bracken asked.

Kendra's mouth dropped open. "You don't know what Reese's peanut butter cups are?!" She exclaimed.

Bracken raised his hands defensively. "I was in the prison for a lot longer than you think."

"Then how do you know what soccer is?"

"We had this arcade room with football tables, which are basically little soccer matches. Every decade or so for a few days he would give us a TV, and when I was down there alone I would always watch soccer. Besides, soccer was invented in the fairy realm way before humans caught on."

Kendra scoffed. "No way."

"I'm not lying. In fact, I think my older sister Mizelle invented soccer."

Kendra studied him closely. "I don't know whether you're being sarcastic or not."

"Guess you'll have to ask my sister herself one day." Bracken said, shrugging.

Kendra rested her head on his shoulder once again, trying to think of more interesting facts. "I have a birthmark." She announced proudly, holding up her left wrist. "Here, just below my thumb." Kendra pointed at the crescent-shape patch of skin that was just slightly darker than the skin around it. "See?" She asked.

Bracken took her hand and brought her wrist closer to him. "I love it," He declared after a moment. He brought her wrist to his lips, kissing it gently.

"I once spend all of my college savings at Barnes and Noble after one of my classmates bragged that they had more books than me. I was like seven, so it wasn't much, but I remember being so competitive." Kendra admitted.

Bracken burst out laughing. "Are you serious?!"

"I seriously felt threatened by that kid!" Kendra explained, "and my parents tried to talk me out of it but in the end decided that it would be a better lesson for me to spend the sixty bucks. And regret it immensely later. They did have an actual savings account with more money in it, anyway."

"That's adorable."

Kendra smiled. "To be honest, I'm running out of interesting things to talk about, Bracken."

"They don't have to be interesting. Did you have any pets growing up?"

Kendra groaned internally, answering the question by muttering the answer under her breath.

"Umm, what?"

Kendra sighed dramatically. "When I was four, I got my dad to go to the pet store just to look. I found the cutest chihuahua puppy there, and somehow convinced my dad that we needed this animal. So we walked out of the store with a chihuahua named Princess."

Bracken grinned. "That's cute—"

"It gets worse," Kendra revealed, smiling. "It didn't register in mine or my dad's heads that I was mildly _allergic to dogs_ until we got home and my mom reminded us. We had to get rid of the dog like two days later."

Bracken laughed. "Did she keep the name princess?"

"As far as I'm aware, yeah."

Bracken stopped playing with Kendra's hair and looked at her intently. "Did you ever dream of being a princess when you were a kid?" He asked.

Kendra's brow furrowed. "I mean, I think all little girls dream about becoming a princess. Why?"

"You could become a princess." Bracken said, staring into her eyes.

Kendra laughed before seeing he was serious. "What do you…" Kendra trailed off, realizing the meaning of his words. He was a prince of the fairy realm. If things worked out, in the future… that was a lot to think about too fast.

Bracken smiled, his gaze never wavering. "I don't mean to rush you, Kendra. I'm not ready for anything along those lines either. But I believe it's important that you know I see a future for us. I don't see you as a short-time partner, or a relationship that will end badly. If I've learned anything about life in the many years I've walked both this world and the fairy realm, it's that things come and go. This world is ever-changing. But in the end, I see us."

Kendra should've felt scared. She should've been anxious at the fact that this was moving quickly. Her brain kept telling her high school relationships rarely build a lasting foundation for something serious, that sooner or later they'd have a fall-out and it would end. But her heart strongly disagreed. Her heart soared at Bracken's words. There was only one way she could possibly express her agreement.

Ignoring her head, she shifted to face Bracken and pressed her lips against his. He stiffened at first in surprise, then relaxed and kissed her back. His arms wrapped around her back, pulling her closer, and her arms enveloped his neck. It felt natural, like they'd done it a thousand times. Kendra felt certain that even if they kissed a thousand times, it would never be enough. This, here, was perfect.

Kendra pulled away the tiniest bit to catch her breath, pressing her forehead against his. "I think I'm falling in l-"

Bracken's eyes broke from hers and looked at something behind her.

Warren's voice froze her blood. " _What the fu-_ "


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: This story is rated T, and this chapter does have a little bit of mature language. Nothing you can't say on cable TV, so it's not too bad, but just thought I should give you guys a warning!**

Kendra gave Vanessa a pleading glance. Warren had been ranting about maturity and respect for the past five minutes without so much as a break for breath. Kendra hadn't been able to get a word in edgewise, and Bracken's expression was inscrutable.

"I find it utterly unbelievable you two would be so foolish. Do you have any respect for yourselves? For the adults around you? The sneaking around you guys did was unexpected and undeniably wrong. I cannot believe that you two have lied to all of us. Bracken? The number of times I asked if you were dating her is uncountable. And every damn time, you said no. You've permanently lost my trust. Both of you." Warren seemed to finish, shoving his hands into the pockets of his shorts.

"Where were you headed?" Kendra asked softly, eyes cold with fury.

Warren, who had opened his mouth to continue, paused and looked at her. It struck Kendra that it wasn't disappointment radiating off of him, it was anger. "What did you just say?" Warren asked in his "I'm-Warren-Frickin-Burgess-You-Can't-Possibly-Talk-To-Me-That-Way" tone he usually reserved for Seth.

Kendra stood, crossing her arms and meeting Warren's gaze defiantly. "I asked you where you were headed. Did I stutter, Warren?"

Vanessa covered her mouth with her hand to hide a laugh, eyes widening in amusement.

Warren flinched, glancing at Vanessa. "Why does that matter?"

Kendra smiled dryly. "Well, I believe you just stood there yelling at me for five minutes about sneaking around while dating someone when you were just about to go off somewhere with Vanessa. Or," Kendra tilted her head in mock confusion, "did I misread the situation?"

Warren's lips tightened. "That's not the same… you can't possibly compare-"

"Compare what, Warren? You're sneaking off with your girlfriend, and currently _lying to me about it_."

Warren shook his head. "She's not my girlfriend-" He began.

Kendra scoffed. "Well that's great. But Bracken is my boyfriend. I'm sixteen years old, and I'm in a relationship. You're not my parent, Warren. You're not my older brother. You're not even my cousin. You're my second cousin. So butt the hell out of my life."

Rolling her eyes, Kendra stormed off. When Warren called her name, she didn't bother to turn around. Right now, she needed to let herself be angry.

* * *

Vanessa found Kendra sitting on a bench outside the Turtle Cabin. "You're not good at hiding, _mija_."

Kendra gazed at Vanessa warily. "I wasn't trying to hide. If Warren wants to find me, he can."

Vanessa sat down gracefully beside her. "Hell of a scolding you gave him. You should've seen the look on his face as he watched you walk away. I think the word I'm looking for is 'flabbergasted'."

That drew a slight smile out of Kendra. "Do you agree with him?" She asked.

Vanessa chuckled. "The day I agree with Warren Burgess will be a scary day indeed."

"That's not an answer."

Vanessa sighed. "You're the most mature sixteen year-old I've ever known. And as much as I dislike him, Bracken is quite literally a creature of purity. Plus, I consider myself a die-hard feminist. So if any guy tried to tell me when and whom I was going to date, I'd lose it quite like you did back there."

"Still not an answer." Kendra said, raising her eyebrows.

"I think that you're responsible enough to date. Your parents aren't in the picture, however, and under normal circumstances they would set the ground rules."

"You think that I should tell grandma and grandpa." Kendra finished, leaning back on the bench.

Vanessa grimaced. "When I was your age, if someone recommended I willingly put myself in a situation that would result in possibly strict rules, I would've laughed in their face."

"You were a wild child, then." Kendra intuited.

"As if you couldn't already tell," Vanessa smirked. "But you are the farthest you could be from being a wild child, so I know you were going to bring the situation to your grandparents eventually without someone telling you to."

Kendra took a deep breath. "You know me well. It's just that things got so busy here, and they have enough worries on their mind. But I guess another reason I waited was that I'm scared they'll forbid me from seeing Bracken."

Vanessa studied Kendra. "You really like him, don't you?"

Kendra met her gaze evenly. "You really like him, don't you?" She repeated, not talking about Bracken.

Vanessa crossed her arms. "I asked you first."

Kendra buried her face in her hands. "I might have told him I was falling in love with him…" She said, cheeks warming.

Vanessa brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "How sweet. Did you mean it?"

"I think so. Yes, I did. I didn't get to finish saying it because Warren interrupted, but I think Bracken got the message. And I don't know how he's reacting because it was only our first kiss, and we didn't really have time after-"

"Wait," Vanessa cut her off, "Warren interrupted your first kiss?!"

Kendra nodded solemnly. "Yep."

Vanessa threw her hands in the air. "Men!" She cried, rolling her eyes. "I'm sure Bracken reciprocates your feelings, Kendra. Remember, I was the one to catch that he liked you in the first place!"

Kendra smiled at the memory. "So, what's going on between you and Warren?"

"It's… complicated."

"Story of my life."

Vanessa bit her lip. "Warren and I have some history from when we were both Knights, before I revealed that I worked for the Sphinx. We had sort of an on-again, off-again relationship until the revenant made him an albino. He fell off the grid, and by that time I was loyal to the Sphinx, so I made myself forget he ever existed. There's still a lot of… chemistry there from those days."

"Are you dating?"

"I don't know what we're doing," Vanessa admitted. "It seems like some days we get along great and we both know what we want, then other times he's distant and unsure. Or maybe I'm the one that's distant and unsure. We haven't quite figured out what we want, I guess."

They sat in silence for a moment, each immersed in their own thoughts and problems. Kendra finally spoke up. "Thank you, Vanessa. For listening and supporting me."

Vanessa smiled warmly at Kendra. "Of course. You're like the sister I always wanted, Kendra. And I'll do anything to make up for…"

Kendra understood. She took Vanessa's hand, squeezing it gently. "You already have."

After another silent moment, Kendra jumped. "What time is it? I feel like our free period should have ended ages ago."

Vanessa's eyes widened. She pulled a phone out of her back pocket, and she flinched as she looked at the time. " _Dammit_."

* * *

The rest of the day seemed to go by in a blur for Kendra. She was late to her sports "course" in which they played tag football. The girls and boys were separated so Kendra didn't have the opportunity to talk to Bracken. After sports, they had a "Safe Nature Exploration" lesson from Tanu.

After asking Kylie if they had ever been given a lesson like this, Kendra discovered the lesson was mandatory for every cabin after the incident with Genna occured.

"You are not to stray from your cabin group at all." Tanu reminded them as they exited the room after the lesson, "We just want to ensure your safety."

After the lecture, the Turtle Cabin was given thirty minutes to explore the camp museum. With their buddy cabin.

Pros of having time with the Koala Cabin: She got to see Bracken.

Cons of having time with the Koala Cabin: She had to face Bracken and find out how he reacted to her comment (declaration of falling in love?), and even worse: she had to face Warren.

Kendra decided to focus on the lesser con, just to get it over with. It took her all of three seconds to spot Bracken with his cabinmates. It just so happened that the exact second she laid eyes on him he looked up and they made eye contact. There was no way Kendra could avoid him now.

Kendra pretended to be really interested in one of the exhibits (a really old shovel) until Bracken sidled up next to her. Alone, thank god.

"Hey," He said softly, also examining the exhibit.

"Hey," Kendra responded.

"About earlier-" Bracken began.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out, and I definitely didn't mean to get you in trouble with Warren." Kendra interrupted, speaking so quickly her words blended together.

"Are you taking back what you said?" Bracken asked.

Kendra stilled. "No," She finally said, shaking her head. "I meant it."

Bracken took Kendra's hand. "Good. Because I feel the same way."

They stood motionless for a moment until Bracken squeezed Kendra's hand. "I think you need to have a talk with Warren." He said, nodding towards the back of the museum.

Kendra followed his gaze. Warren was standing in front of a clothing exhibit, obviously trying not to look at them. "Yeah, I probably should. Did he yell at you after I stormed off?" She asked.

Bracken shook his head. "No. He looked at Vanessa, realized she wasn't going to back him up on this one, looked at me kind of helplessly, and then started walking in the opposite direction. Vanessa gave me what I think was supposed to be a supportive smile, then went off after you. I thought it would be best for you two to have some girl time. You know, to talk."

Kendra sighed. "My pride wants me to wait for Warren to approach me. I don't want to back down on this, Bracken."

Bracken shrugged. "I'm not here to tell you what to do. But I'll support you no matter what you decide."

Kendra glanced at Warren once more, then squeezed Bracken's hand. "Let's enjoy the museum. At least one of these things has to be older than you, right? Otherwise I can't possibly consider it a legitimate museum."

Bracken chuckled. "You'd be surprised."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry! This chapter is a little shorter than some of the other ones, but I felt that this was a good place to end it. I'll try to post the next chapter as soon as I can!**

Kendra _hated_ sharing a bathroom with seven girls. Even though there were two showers and three sinks, there was only one toilet. And including Vanessa, there were nine people who needed to shower. Making four people share a shower was torture. The vanity was littered with makeup products, deodorant, perfume bottles, and other feminine products. Kendra had the urge to organize it, but instead settled on keeping her bathroom materials tucked away in a drawer in her dresser, only to be brought out when needed. The last thing Kendra needed was to have her toothbrush used by someone else.

After a dinner of hot dogs, corn, and chips (not very good, although Kendra would never tell her grandmother), the Turtle Cabin was sent back to their cabin to prepare for the movie night.

"What movie are we watching again?" Kendra asked, pulling her hair up into a messy bun. Vanessa had organized a schedule for showering that varied depending on the day of the week, and somehow Kendra was last for tonight. Apparently having connections in high places didn't pay off as well as she hoped it would.

Lili leaned closer to the mirror she had set up on her bed, applying mascara. "Umm, Inside Out, I think. What are we, five?"

Kendra didn't need to admit that she liked that movie. "Lil, why are you putting on makeup when it's literally a pajama movie night? Besides, the auditorium will be dark. No one is going to be looking at you."

"So what? I like to look good. I'm second to last on the shower schedule anyway. And there's that cute boy from Eagle Cabin that was totally flirting with me in the dinner line. Not all of us have super hot boyfriends, Kenzie."

Twenty minutes later, they were sitting in the theatre-like seats in the auditorium. Lili was on Kendra's right, and Vanessa was seated on her left. As the lights dimmed, the projector hummed when someone turned it on. Kendra felt her eyelids droop as the movie started.

Vanessa shook her awake. A quick glance at the screen told Kendra that they were about a half hour into the movie. "Lili took off a few minutes ago, saying she was going to the bathroom." Vanessa whispered.

Sure enough, the set on Kendra's right was empty. "You find her going to the bathroom suspicious?" Kendra asked, rubbing her eyes groggily.

"Should I? She's been gone for a little bit longer than the average bathroom trip."

"She said something about flirting with a guy from Eagle Cabin. She probably just went to meet him somewhere." Kendra said.

Vanessa extended her arms in front of her, arching her back in a deep stretch. "I guess I should probably go find her. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate babysitting?"

Kendra pulled her legs close to her chest as Vanessa squeezed past. With the seats on either side of her empty, she was able to stretch out and fall asleep again in a much more comfortable position.

* * *

Kendra awoke to the rustle of seats and chatter of many voices. She blearily opened her eyes, cringing at the sudden glare of the lights overhead. The movie must have ended.

Kendra instinctively turned to ask Vanessa if it was time for them to go back to the cabin and sleep, but Vanessa's seat was empty. Kendra turned to her right. Lili's seat was empty, too. She tried to ignore the way her heart started beating faster. They had to be a logical explanation for why they weren't back yet. There was no reason they wouldn't be fine.

Kylie, who was sitting on the other side of Lili, turned to Kendra and seemed to realize the problem. "Did Victoria leave?" She asked.

"Who?" Kendra asked, looking around the auditorium wildly. The non-counselor staff like Grandma and Grandpa were sitting in the back row, talking amongst themselves. There was Bracken and Seth, sitting closer to the front of the auditorium. Where could Vanessa be?

It took Kendra a few moments to notice Kylie was staring at her strangely. She thought back to what she just said, and had to stop herself from grimacing. She totally forgot that Vanessa wasn't Vanessa to everyone else. "I mean, yeah. I think Victoria went to find Lili. Sorry, I'm still a bit sleepy."

Kylie frowned. "Who knows where Lili went. Ever since she blackmailed us all into lying about what really happened to Genna, she's been acting really strange." Kylie scoffed, rolling her eyes, "And she thinks _I'm_ the one with the bad personality."

Kendra froze. "She… she blackmailed you?" She asked in shock.

Kylie nodded grimly. "When she found out that I knew what really happened to Genna, she did some digging into my history and threatened to tell the whole camp about something… something I don't want anyone to know. I came to this camp looking for a fresh start, and instead I got…" Kylie waved a hand, giving Kendra a sad smile. "This."

Kendra narrowed her eyes, trying to make sense of what she was just told. "But… but why would Lili care if people found out about the Genna thing? It wasn't Lili's fault! The only thing she did wrong was going to the bathroom without a buddy… this… this doesn't make sense, Kylie."

Kylie's brows furrowed. "Kenzie, what are you talking about? You don't know what happened, do you?"

Kendra opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by someone calling her fake name from the aisle of the auditorium. She turned, and saw Vanessa smiling at her. "Kenzie, can I have a word?"

Kendra looked at Kylie pleadingly. "Can we finish this conversation later?" She asked, wishing Vanessa knew what she was interrupting.

Kylie's sad smile widened a fraction of an inch. "I didn't mean to upset you, Kenzie. I shouldn't have said anything. Go on," She beckoned towards Vanessa.

Kendra hesitated, then rushed toward Vanessa. "I was kind of in the middle of something," She said, widening her eyes.

Vanessa frowned slightly. "I only wanted to apologize for taking so long. I found Lili with that boy, but decided to let her be."

Kendra studied Vanessa. Did something about her seem… off? It wasn't like Vanessa to be so ditzy and irresponsible. "Are you okay? What took you so long?"

Vanessa's frown deepened. "I wasn't gone for very long, Kendra."

"Kenzie." Kendra corrected, face scrunching up in confusion. "Victoria, you were gone for the rest of the movie. This isn't like you."

"Was I? I'm sorry. I didn't really want to tell you, but if you must know I ran into Warren. I guess we spent more time together than I thought." Vanessa scratched her head, glancing over at Warren.

Kendra followed her gaze. Warren was laughing at something Seth said, eyes lively. Hadn't he been there the whole time? She hadn't really been paying attention, what with her sleeping through the movie.

Warren looked up, and noticed Kendra staring at him. His smile instantly dimmed. He gave Kendra a tiny wave, and after a moment he looked away first.

Clenching her jaw, Kendra felt very out of sorts in the auditorium.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Another shorter chapter (sorry sorry sorry!) but I'd like to thank Melissa Waters for her awesome suggestion and constant positivity! Thank you for encouraging me to continue with this story! And shout out to everyone who has left a positive review, your support means the WORLD to me so thank you!**

At breakfast the next morning, Kendra was surprised when her Grandfather stood up in front of everyone in the Mess Hall and announced, "Hello everyone. I am Mr. Steve Hudson, and as you should know I am the new director of Camp Nightingale.

"I realize that certain events have dampened some of our spirits, and so when our dear counselor Adam brought to my attention that the date of the annual scavenger hunt was soon to arrive, I felt it necessary to continue the tradition."

Many campers at the tables surrounding the Turtle Cabin started murmuring excitedly. Kendra, however, had no idea what was going on.

Stan waited until the murmuring quieted before continuing. "Today, the normal schedule will be ignored. Instead, we are going to partake in the scavenger hunt."

This time, cheers broke out among the campers. When Stan held up a hand, they quieted.

"There are some ground rules everyone must hear and follow. The most important being that cabins must stay together. Understood? There will be no singular person or pair that leaves their cabin to get ahead on the hunt, or even to use the restroom. Anyone who breaks this rule will disqualify their entire cabin, and will be placed on camper probation until further notice."

Kendra had no clue what camper probation was, but at this many campers stilled.

"I know those who come here annually are used to the scavenger hunt taking place in the woods. Unfortunately, most of the scavenger hunt will take place around the camp this year due to unfortunate circumstances. Any items you must find in the woods will be on the outskirts. Under no circumstances is any team allowed to venture more than a minute's walk into the woods."

Kendra's attention was drawn to the Koala table. Seth had leaned over to Bracken and Warren and was chattering excitedly, using his hands as he talked. Bracken seemed hesitant, but Warren's face brightened. What could he possibly be talking about?

Grandpa spoke one last time. "The scavenger hunt will begin in one hour. Everyone has time to go back to their cabins and prepare, maybe devise a strategy. The winning cabin will be relieved of all chores for the next month, and will get to eat first at every meal. Each member will also receive a gift card to Ben and Jerry's. Every cabin will meet at the West baseball field to receive their first clue at 9:15. Have fun!"

As grandpa walked back to his seat, the mess hall exploded in conversation. Kendra turned to gauge the reactions of the girls in her cabin, but noticed Seth, Bracken, and Warren making a beeline across the mess hall to her. When they arrived, Warren shifted his weight and wouldn't meet her gaze. Seth, however, looked at her with wide eyes. "I have an idea," He said excitedly.

Kendra groaned.

* * *

Kendra, Bracken, Seth, and Warren sat around a table in the farthest corner of the mess hall from the door.

Vanessa shifted uneasily. "What's so important that I have to leave my campers without a counselor for the second time in twenty-four hours?" She asked.

"Seth had an idea…" Warren began, glancing at Seth.

Seth understood. "This scavenger hunt is the perfect opportunity to search the woods. If we know where the creature causing all of this is, we can focus on fixing the solution."

Vanessa's face twisted in anger. "Are you crazy? Seth, your grandpa would never approve of this."

Seth looked confused, as if what he was trying to imply should have been obvious. "That's why we wouldn't tell him. Haven't you ever heard that saying about how it's better to just do something without asking than to ask and have your plans ruined?"

Kendra bit her lip. "Seth, what you're suggesting would be really, really dangerous. Grandpa forbid campers from going into the woods for a reason."

Seth sighed. "I'm not being stupid. I'm not suggesting we take an unnecessary risk. I'm certainly not saying we go into the woods and fight this monster, or whatever it is. I'm saying that we need to know more about the creature, and where it is, and what it's doing. We're never going to solve this problem if we avoid it. And that's exactly what the adults are doing."

Vanessa scowled. "No, Seth. No way. It's way too dangerous. Everyone is going to have fun with the scavenger hunt today, and none of you are leaving my sight or Warren's. Understood?"

Warren tilted his head. "I don't know, Nessa. Don't you kind of agree with them? So far Stan has no intention of investigating the problem. His perfect solution would be shutting the camp down and sending the Knights in then. It might be too late, don't you think?"

Vanessa's eyes hardened in fury. "Warren. Burgess. If you say one more word that convinces these kids this is the right thing to do, I will _murder you_. If you guys don't promise me you'll abandon this plan, I'll tell Stan right now."

Warren looked shocked. "Nessa-" He began.

"No! Don't _Nessa_ me. This is foolish and stupid and they could _die_ , Warren. Don't you understand that? Now promise me," She spat, turning to Seth.

Seth didn't look fazed, "I promise. We won't do anything stupid, Vanessa. That's why I brought it up to you guys first. If you don't think this is the right thing to to, we won't do it." He assured her.

Kendra jumped when she realized Vanessa was now glaring at her. "Oh, I promise." She said quickly.

Bracken spoke half a second after Kendra. "I promise."

Next Vanessa's glare turned on Warren. "A word," She growled, motioning for Warren to follow her. Warren followed Vanessa with wide eyes as she stalked to the opposite side of the room.

"Well, at least we get to enjoy the scavenger hunt today-" Kendra said, trying to ease the tension Vanessa left.

Seth scoffed. "What are you talking about? We're still going to investigate. We'll just have to be more sneaky about it."

Bracken frowned. "Seth, maybe Vanessa's right."

Seth opened his mouth to reply, but Kendra beat him to it. "No." She said quietly.

Seth stared at her in shock. Kendra smiled slightly and continued. "I agree with Seth. We need more information, and I think this is the only way to get it."

Seth's eyes widened. "Did you just… did you just _agree_ with me?" He asked in a hushed voice.

"Don't get used to it." Kendra said. She took Bracken's hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "Just hear me out, Bracken. If we do this, we could get more necessary information. Without more information, there's no way we're going to be able to do anything about the problems this creature is causing. More people will get hurt before we fix this. I've weighed the risks against the pros, and I think this is the right thing to do. We won't put ourselves in unnecessary danger, and we'll be careful. Just a quick walk into the woods."

Bracken shook his head slightly. "I don't want either of you to get hurt."

Kendra forced her smile to widen. "We won't. You're here. And besides, I don't know if you remember or anything, but I kind of defeated the Demon King. I can defend myself."

Bracken smirked, leaning in and kissing Kendra on her forehead.

"Hey, I'm a big deal, too," Seth cut in. "I, you know, did stuff."

"So it's settled," Bracken said, looking equal parts unsettled and confident. "We're breaking the rules."

Seth chuckled. "Not listening to the adults will probably be hard for both of you."

"Do we tell Warren? He seemed to be on our side." Kendra said, staring across the room at the heated conversation going on between the two counselors. "Maybe he can help."

Seth scoffed. "There you go, wanting to bring the adults into this."

"I would hardly qualify Warren as an adult." Bracken objected.


	10. Chapter 10

Kendra tapped her foot from inside the bathroom in Turtle Cabin. Or rather, inside the stall that held the toilet. She needed to stay in here long enough to provoke Vanessa to coming into the bathroom and checking on her.

From outside the actual bathroom door, Kendra heard Vanessa's muffled voice telling the girls to line up so she could count them off. In less than a minute, Vanessa was knocking in the bathroom door. "Kenzie? Are you in there? I'm coming in."

Kendra saw Vanessa's stylish tennis shoes stop outside the stall. "Kenzie, what's going on?"

Kendra tried to put those acting classes she took in fifth grade to use. "I'm fine," She groaned, trying to sound pained.

"You don't sound fine. What's wrong?" Vanessa sounded concerned, so Kendra took that as a good sign.

"I, uh, I started."

"Started what?"

Kendra frowned. Vanessa was usually a lot more intuitive than this. "I started my period. I usually get really bad…" Kendra paused, letting out a ragged breath. "I get really bad cramps which make my back hurt. And I always get a headache."

Vanessa stepped closer to the stall door. "Do you need me to come in there?"

Kendra bit her lip. If Vanessa came in, she would see that Kendra was not on her period after all. That she was just sitting on the toilet, crossing her fingers that the plan would work. "Umm, no. But I'm in a lot of pain."

Kendra had to get Vanessa to suggest that she either stay at the cabin or go to the med bay instead of participating in the scavenger hunt. If Kendra suggested it, there was too big of a chance that Vanessa would connect the dots and realize this was just a ploy to separate Kendra from the cabin.

"Do you need an Aleve, or an Advil?" Vanessa asked.

Kendra tried not to let her frustration show in her voice. "I already took two Ibuprofen." Then she had an idea. "Do you have a heating pad for my back?"

"Do you really need one, Kenzie?" Vanessa sounded genuinely irritated.

Kendra's frown deepened. It wasn't like Vanessa to be so insensitive. What was up with her? "Victoria, I'm in a lot of pain." She insisted.

She heard Vanessa sigh. "Okay. You can go rest at the med bay. But when you feel better, come find us, okay? We really need you for this scavenger hunt."

Kendra flushed the toilet and opened the stall door, making sure to hunch her back just the slightest bit when she walked. As she washed her hands, Vanessa eyed her in the mirror. "I'll walk you to the med bay. Hurry up."

Kendra's pained expression slipped for just a moment into terror before she managed to right herself. "You're going to be late to the scavenger hunt. Just go on, take the cabin and go to the field."

Vanessa followed Kendra out of the bathroom. "Fine. But I'm going to watch you walk into the med bay."

So Kendra walked through the rows of cabins with the crawling feeling of eyes trained on her back. When she walked up the steps to the wide, rectangular building, she paused in front of the door. There Vanessa was with the Turtle Cabin, staring at her expectantly. With a sigh, Kendra pushed open the door and walked inside.

The room was mostly decorated in shades of white and cream, and smelled like a hospital. There were rows of cot-like beds lining the walls. Four beds in the corner of the room were occupied, but Kendra wasn't close enough to see who the occupants were. She knew one had to be Eva-Marie, and one had to be Genna. The other two could have been anyone.

There was a woman in blue scrubs leaning over one of the beds, and Kendra was surprised to find a familiar Samoan peering into a cabinet on the wall. "Tanu?" Kendra asked.

Tanu turned and widened his eyes at Kendra, shaking his head slightly. "The name's Tag Toga. You were close."

Kendra grimaced and mouthed sorry.

"How can I help you?" Tanu asked, concerned eyes searching Kendra for any obvious injury.

Kendra checked to make sure the woman was still busy with the camper and mouthed _I'm fine._ "Actually, sir, my counselor Victoria sent me to ask for an extra set of bedsheets." Kendra silently prayed that the med bay handled the laundry.

Tanu still looked concerned, but motioned to a door on the wall to Kendra's right. Kendra followed him into quite a large closet, and Tanu turned as soon as she was in. "What's wrong, Kendra?" He whispered.

Kendra shook her head. "Nothing. Honest. One of the campers just started her period and needs new sheets. But what are you doing working here?"

Tanu shrugged, turning to search one of the higher shelves for sheets. "The med bay was short-staffed, and I happened to mention Tag Toga used to be a nurse. So here I am for a few days. Besides," He said, lowering his voice even more, "It's a good thing to be closer to Eva-Marie and Genna after what happened. For their safety and for more information."

Facing Kendra, Tanu handed her a bundle of white sheets. "Thanks. I'm going to go now." Kendra said awkwardly, backing out of the closet.

"Come back anytime." Tanu said, waving politely as Kendra practically ran out of the med bay door. When the med bay was out of sight and she was halfway to the meeting point, Kendra threw the sheets behind a bush, letting out a deep sigh of relief that the Turtle Cabin was nowhere in sight.

* * *

Kendra slowed when she reached the stables. She crouched at what she hoped was the southern corner, scanning her surroundings for both staff of the camp and Bracken and Seth. Where were they? She couldn't have been early to the meeting, with her unexpected detour into the med bay.

After many tense minutes, Kendra spotted Bracken and Seth running towards her the way she came. When they reached her they crouched. Neither was breathing too heavily.

"What took you so long?" Kendra asked.

"Warren got suspicious. In the end we had to hint to him that we were trying to go off and explore, which turned out to be a big mistake because he wanted to come." Seth revealed, rolling his eyes.

"It was a train wreck." Bracken agreed, shaking his head. "What did you have to say to Vanessa for her to let you leave?" He asked, turning to Kendra.

Kendra shifted her crouched stance. She knew Seth would press until she let up, so she decided to just tell the truth. "I had to fake PMS, saying I started my period. She sent me to the med bay."

Kendra found it both funny and cute how Bracken's ears reddened when he was uncomfortable. "You're dating a girl, Bracken. Girls have periods. A period is a natural bodily function. Without the menstrual cycle you wouldn't be here…" Kendra stopped, narrowing her eyes. "Wait, do unicorns have periods? How does that work when they can be both a unicorn and a human?"

Bracken laughed begrudgingly. "Point taken." He conceded.

Seth rolled his eyes. "You're both dorks. Now that we're done talking about the female reproductive system, can we _please_ go into the woods before we get caught?"


	11. Chapter 11

It wasn't until they were hustling through the brambles and undergrowth of the woods while avoiding trees and tall bushes, none of them speaking very much, that Kendra remembered her conversation with Kylie the night before.

She was the first to break the silence as they wandered deeper into the woods. "Hey, Bracken, I just remembered a weird conversation I had with a girl from my cabin. How much do you know about Genna, the girl who broke her wrist?"

Bracken frowned, glancing back at Kendra. "I've only heard what your grandmother said. Genna fell down a hill suspiciously and broke her wrist."

Kendra looked at Seth, who was listening intently. "Well, I talked to a girl named Lili about it and she said that Genna wasn't alone when it happened. Lili claimed she was there with her, she had gone to use the bathroom."

As Kendra told Lili's version of the story and then summarized her conversation with Kylie the other night, Bracken's expression grew darker. When Kendra finished, however, Seth was the first to speak. "If Bracken mentions it to them, couldn't he tell whether they are lying or not? Remember, Bracken, when you first met me you acted as a walking lie detector."

"Before, I could only do that through physical contact. Which is why I held your hand, Seth." Bracken explained. "But I didn't have my horn. Now I do, and my powers are significantly increased… I might be able to."

"What do you think about the girls? Should I try to get more information out of Kylie?" Kendra asked.

Bracken nodded. "Definitely finish that conversation. And it seems like you should keep an eye on Lili."

Kendra decided the change the subject, voicing another concern that had been weighing on her for the past few minutes. "Bracken, how do you know where you're going? Are we just walking blindly into the woods?"

Bracken hesitated. "We're circling around the woods to get closer to the field we were at yesterday. The one where you sensed the dark presence."

"I remember," Kendra assured him. "But wouldn't this be a lot quicker if I lead us to it? I could reach out, try to sense it again-"

"I don't want you _trying_ to have anything to do with that thing." Bracken said.

"But I was the only one who was able to sense it before, we might as well be walking blindfolded into its territory with no way to sense if it's practically on top of us-"

"I understand that, but if you continue to secure your connection with it who knows what-"

"Guys," Seth whispered.

"I'm not trying to secure my connection with it! It obviously couldn't take control of me before, who says it can even take control of me now!"

"Kendra, that's very arrogant. It was trying to assume control of you through the use of a host, if we met it in it's full power-"

"Guys," Seth repeated.

"I'm not being arrogant! Don't call me arrogant, Bracken!"

"I'm just trying my best to keep you and your brother safe."

"So am I! And I think we'll be safer if we know exactly where this thing is, and the only way to do that is for me to try and sense it."

"The danger is-"

" _GUYS_!" Seth shouted.

Kendra and Bracken both turned, rushing towards Seth in concern. Seth had both of his arms braced against a tree, and he seemed to be swaying from nausea.

"Seth, what's going on?" Kendra asked, helping to ease him into a sitting position.

"Talk to us," Bracken instructed.

"The… the voices. I'm hearing them again. And they're… they're…" Seth grimaced, covering his ears with his hands. "They're so loud… I can't… they keep saying to find the kids and subdue them…"

"Where are they coming from?" Bracken asked, placing his palms against Seth's temples. "Just tell me where they're coming from and I may be able to shut them out-"

"Everywhere." Seth looked up, eyes scanning the expanse of trees in front of them wildly. His clammy, pale face had broken out in a sheen of sweat.

"Just focus on one," Bracken insisted, forcing Seth to maintain eye contact with him. "Just focus on the strongest one, okay? Try to find out where that one is. Okay, Seth?"

Seth closed his eyes tightly before lifting a shaking hand and pointing. Kendra turned, following the direction he indicated. "The cave?" She asked. How had they missed the cave before? About two hundred yards away, carved into the rocky bottom of a hill loomed a dark opening. "Is it in the cave?"

"One." Seth murmured. "One's here." His eyes popped open, and Kendra turned in horror to see what he was staring at.

When she turned, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Vanessa! Oh, thank god, help us with…"

Bracken's wide, panicked eyes and tight grip on her arm made Kendra trail off.

* * *

"You never listen." Vanessa accused, standing amongst the trees with a hand on her hip. Kendra was used to seeing Vanessa's beauty in a warm, affectionate light, but Kendra could only see harsh coldness displayed across Vanessa's regal features.

Bracken gave Kendra a deliberate look. A warning. "We're sorry, Vanessa." He soothed, extending his palms in a placating gesture.

Vanessa scowled. "I gave you one order. _One_." She growled, turning her glare to Kendra. "You lied to me."

Kendra had this thing about doing something that adults considered wrong. Unless she got mixed up with Seth's wrongdoings, she hadn't broken the rules in a while. But when Kendra became passionate about a viewpoint or issue, nothing would get in her way. She didn't feel guilty for what she did, but she felt awful that she had to lie to Vanessa. "I did. And I'm so, so sorry."

"Sorry you lied, or sorry you got caught?" Vanessa glanced shiftily over her shoulder in the direction of the cave. "You shouldn't be here. We're leaving. Now."

Vanessa moved to grab Kendra and Seth by the arms, but Bracken stepped in front of them. He met Vanessa's glare with projected defiance, but Kendra knew him well enough to see the fear in his posture, the way his fingers twitched at his sides. He wouldn't be shielding Kendra and Seth if he didn't think they would need shielding.

"Vanessa, I respect you very much. I really do. But I need you to take a step back, and take some deep breaths." Bracken motioned for Kendra and Seth to back up.

Vanessa's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Wh-what are you doing, Bracken? I don't need your _pathetic_ meditation right now. I need you all to listen to me. I'm an adult. I'm your superior, and I'm trying to keep you safe."

"Or you're trying to keep us away from whatever's in that cave that you keep looking at," Seth observed dryly.

Bracken shot him a warning glance.

"You're absolutely right! I am trying to keep you away from everything in these woods! You were ordered not to come in here, and as a superior Knight I order you to stand down. Go back to the cabins, and I'll talk to the Captain about your punishment."

Kendra's mouth dropped open. Vanessa was acting like she knew nothing about the way the Knights operated. And Seth had said one of the voices had been coming closer when Vanessa appeared... She instantly reached out with her mind, struggling intensely to keep her eyes open while she focused. What she sensed confirmed her horrific suspicions. Vanessa's aura was no longer neutral like most humans, as humans are neither creatures of light nor darkness until transformed one way or the other. Vanessa had a spiraling, shifting ring of darkness around her head. Almost like a halo.

Kendra's attention was drawn to the hulking mass of pure darkness inside the cave, but she broke the outreach of her mind before any further connection could be made. "Vanessa…" She murmured. Vanessa's behavior suddenly made sense. She wasn't acting of her own accord. She was under the control of the creature. And Kendra had no clue if there was any way of freeing her.

Kendra leveled at Bracken's side and took his hand, squeezing it tightly. He nodded without looking at her, a nod of understanding. "Let's not lose our heads." He said calmly, taking a slight step forward.

Kendra tightened her grip on his hand, refusing to let go. He wasn't going to do anything stupid or make any sacrifices if she was standing beside him. "You're right, Vanessa. Let's head back to camp. " Kendra suggested, "I thought that this was the right thing to do, but it was stupid and dangerous. How about we head back to camp and get to safety, then you can decide our punishment."

Kendra kept her eyes trained on Vanessa, refusing to look at Bracken for fear of seeing disapproval on his face. He couldn't possibly expect her to stay silent and wait for him to find a way out of this mess by himself. If they made it back to camp, they could find one of the other adults and get them to help.

Seth, however, hadn't completely caught on. "Or, we could tell you to stick it and continue on our merry way toward the cave."

Vanessa raised her eyebrows in mock concern. "Still hearing voices, are we, little boy?"

Kendra half-turned and widened her eyes at Seth, shaking her head as subtly as she could while making sure he would notice. He shrugged, looking at Kendra like she was stupid. "If you think I'm going to accept any punishment from this imposter Vanessa then-"

Things happened so fast that if Kendra blinked she might have missed them. Vanessa hissed and lunged toward Bracken, pulling her blowgun from a pocket. Bracken grabbed Kendra and Seth by the wrists and threw them down behind a bush before ducking behind a large tree trunk. Kendra heard the _thwap_ of a dart sticking into the bark of the tree trunk in the exact location Bracken's neck had been a half-second before.

Bracken breathed heavily, chest rising and falling in deep gasps. "We need to draw the darkness out from her body. To do that, we need to get her imobile. And then I'm going to need you, Kendra." He instructed, glancing around the trunk to gauge Vanessa's location.

Kendra heard Vanessa coming closer to the bush, which came as a surprise. Whoever or whatever was in control of Vanessa did not have the lethal grace or stealth she did. They were in luck, because the real Vanessa would have been completely silent while making her way closer to the bushes.

Bracken motioned for Kendra and Seth to run to the nearest cluster of shrubs. Walking away from the shield the trunk provided him, he called out, "Seth, do you remember that wrestling move I taught you in the garden that I told you never to try on your sister?"

Seth, who was running in a crouch behind Kendra, replied, "Yeah!"

Vanessa looked between Bracken and Seth, unsure of which target to pursue. "Stay here," Kendra whispered to Seth, forcing him into a squat behind the shrubs. "We need to distract her. If we come at her from all directions…" Grabbing his hand, she whispered a quick, "Be safe," before sprinting across the small clearing.

Out of her peripheral vision, Kendra saw Vanessa lifting the blowgun and taking aim. She wasn't going to make it to the tree she was aiming for, the closest one with the fat trunk. As Vanessa exhaled sharply Kendra dove into a roll, tucking her neck in close to her chest and bounding upward the second her feet hit the ground again. The dart missed her by inches. Kendra guessed four years of beginner gymnastics had payed off. A forward roll was the only thing she had mastered anyway.

Kendra made it behind the tree as another dart whipped through her hair, missing contact with her skin. Obviously the imposter didn't have Vanessa's aim, either. Breathing heavily and trying to brush moss, grass, and twigs out of her hair, Kendra peered around the side of the tree.

Bracken had used Vanessa's focus on Kendra to sneak up behind her. Seth was peering over the top of the bushes. When he saw what Bracken was doing he stood, calling out to Vanessa, "Can we settle this over a sandwich? I'm starving!"

Quicker than Kendra thought was possible, Vanessa was exhaling heavily and the dart was flying through the air. Seth dropped, but he wasn't quick enough. The dart hit skin, sticking into his shoulder.

With sluggish movements, Seth tottered over and splayed in the grass. Kendra prayed the darts were intended to put people to sleep and not anything way worse. That had to be the only option.

Kendra looked back toward Vanessa and found that Bracken was in the process of pinning her down. She was fighting back, clawing at his face with her free hand. Kendra knew Vanessa was strong, but Bracken was stronger. "Kendra, I need you over here," Bracken called with a strangled voice.

As Kendra sprinted towards him, Bracken got her arm under control.

"Would it be easier to put her to sleep?" Kendra asked, breathing heavily.

"No. I think she'll need to be awake for this to work. Can you help with her arms?"

Kendra, unsure of what exactly to do, kneeled on the arm closest to her.

"Ow!" Vanessa spit, softening her gaze at Kendra. "Come on, Kendra. This is ridiculous! You know me! It's me, Vanessa Santoro! I'm your friend! I would never do anything to hurt you, this is crazy!"

Kendra wished it was true. As she searched Vanessa's familiar eyes for a glimpse of the Vanessa she knew, she saw her pupils expand until her eyes were pits of churning darkness. Kendra was transfixed, unable to look away. She heard Bracken shouting, felt his hand on her shoulder.

Vanessa's mouth opened, forming words in a voice that was unfamiliar. "I have your narcoblix. I will have your unicorn. I will take your brother. And then, I will come for you. As hard as you may make it, all creatures of light succumb to my will. You are no different. You are not as powerful as you think you are, and when you are the last, you will realize that you are _nothing_."

The darkness resided until Vanessa's eyes were normal again. Kendra felt as if ear plugs had just been removed, and her hearing returned in the middle of Bracken's sentence. "-need to come back to me…" Bracken trailed off as Kendra turned to look at him. "You're back."

"Did she just take control of me?" Kendra asked, heart pounding. Vanessa seemed to have become silent, unable to work her mouth.

Bracken shook his head. "I was watching. There was a dark outreach that tried to invade you, but your light repelled it. Are you okay?" His body was splayed in an awkward position as he tried to keep Vanessa's struggling body down.

Kendra shifted, trying to immobilize a leg as well as the arm so Bracken didn't have to resist as much. "I think so. How do we do this?"

"Reach out, just like you did before, and find the darkness inside of her. Draw it out. It will take immense energy, but you can do it." Bracken met her eyes, nodding. "You can do it, Kendra. Breathe."

Kendra glanced toward Vanessa in alarm. "Why can't you do it? You've had more practice?"

Bracken's eyes narrowed and his eyebrows lowered in concentration. "I can barely sense the darkness. Whatever did this… it's extremely powerful to be able to almost conceal this from a unicorn. If I wasn't looking very hard, I wouldn't have sensed it. You have a strong connection with this darkness because it almost infected you, so only you will have the ability to pull it out."

Kendra took a shaky breath. "Okay. I got this." She reached out with her mind, finding the same halo of darkness that she had seen before. She envisioned reaching out with a hand and scooping up the darkness into a cup. But wherever the mental hand touched the darkness, it recoiled and resettled around the hand. Kendra couldn't do it.

"It's avoiding me. The darkness won't let me withdraw it." Kendra said, opening her eyes. Vanessa kicked out with her leg, forcing Kendra to shift. "I can't do it."

Bracken bit his lip. "You have to. You're the only person who can."

"You said you saw the darkness that tried to invade me was repelled by my light, right? The same thing is happening here. It's not going to work."

"We have to free Vanessa, Kendra."

Kendra shook her head. "We need more time to figure this out. Give me a dart."

Bracken pulled a dart out of Vanessa's back pocket, pulled off the sheath, and stuck it into Vanessa's wiggling arm without handing it to Kendra.

Kendra slid off Vanessa as the dart took its effect, making Vanessa's struggling limbs relax. She was upset and disappointed in herself and the situation. It wasn't her fault she couldn't remove the darkness. It wasn't her fault that she was a creature of the light. In fact, that had saved her from becoming a pawn in a dark creature's game twice in the past two days.

Suddenly, a thought dawned on Kendra. She stood, turning to Bracken. "Can you wake Seth up?"


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Many, many apologies for taking forever and a half to update this story. With new school years, sports teams, clubs, and a new kitten, I've been totally swamped. And I was doing so well, updating almost every day! But, I digress. I won't be updating as often as before, but I'm going to try my best to do better. I've mapped out the general idea of where I want this plotline to go, and I'm super excited to share it with you guys! Comment if you'd like, they motivate me to keep writing. Enjoy!**

Kendra breathed a sigh of relief when Seth's eyes popped awake. He looked around wildly, taking in his surroundings, until he stared at Bracken kneeling over him with his fingers on Seth's temples. After only seconds, Bracken was able to wake Seth.

"What the hell happened?" Seth asked, sitting up. He flinched, raising a hand to his head. "My head hurts. How long has it been since not-Vanessa stuck me with that dart?"

"Language," Kendra scolded.

"Seriously? Who are you, Captain America?" Seth asked incredulously.

Bracken boosted Seth to his feet. "We immobilized Vanessa by sticking her with one of her own darts about five minutes ago. Kendra tried to remove the darkness, but she has too much inner light." Bracken nodded at Kendra, motioning her to continue.

"You can get the darkness out of her, Seth," Kendra gushed. "I know you can. It makes total sense that only a creature with an aptitude for darkness can remove the darkness inside of her. A shadow charmer is exactly what we need right now."

Seth looked at Bracken. "Do you think this will work? You look like you think this idea is crazy."

"It's our only shot," Bracken conceded. "I think we have to try, even if I'm unsure of whether it will work or not."

Seth walked and stood at Vanessa's side, peering down at her almost-lifeless body. Vanessa had always been a deep sleeper, mostly unmoving while she slept. "Okay." Seth agreed. "What do I do?"

"You're going to need to reach out with your mind-"

Seth interrupted, looking at Bracken like he was crazy. "My mind?! Is that part of your stupid meditation instructions you gave Kendra like three months ago? Because she followed your instructions religiously, meditating every day. I didn't. If you think I can do your crazy mental magic…"

Kendra put a hand on his shoulder, fighting her instinct to bury her face in her hands. "Seth, you _can_ do it. Okay? You just have to silence everything around you. Focus on sensing the essence of things, not just picturing what they are."

Bracken motioned for Seth to sit down. Seth complied. "I'll talk you through it. Focus on my voice." He said. "Now close your eyes. Picture your surroundings. Imagine everything in this forest consists of many different layers. The first layer, the one you know, is the external image of these things. The leaves on trees, the grass and twigs littering the ground. Now picture that layer falling away. Everything is stripped down to its essence, its main form of existing. What some would consider its soul. This isn't something you can make up in your mind. You need to reach out, _feel_ for this layer. If you-"

Seth opened his eyes, shaking his head sadly. "I can't see anything. I can't feel anything. You sound like you're insane."

Kendra grit her teeth. Her brother wasn't cooperating as well as he could. "You aren't trying hard enough, Seth!" She exclaimed.

"Easy for you to say, Miss I-Can-Get-Anything-Done-On-The-First-Try-Because-I'm-So-Perfect!" Seth bristled.

Bracken looked thoughtful. "Kendra, sit down next to him and hold his hand." He instructed, crossing his arms.

"What?" Kendra asked.

Bracken met her eyes meaningfully. "This is one of the five things I'm telling you." He said, smirking.

Kendra smiled a little at the mention of their game. "Okay?"

"When I was a kid in the fairy realm, my mother would make us do this all the time. We would have to sit for days on end in intense focus, reaching out until we could sense whatever part of the fairy realm my mother wanted us to. Sometimes it was the mountains, and we would have to tell her how many fairies were resting in the hollow of the largest tree, sometimes it was how many rocks lay at the bottom of the smallest pond in the realm; stuff like that. It built our focus, our patience, and gave us both mental strength and clarity."

Bracken smiled. "Believe it or not, I was terrible at it. I wanted to run around the preserve, sword fight with the original Knights of the Dawn, my father's guards. I didn't have any patience. I could never focus for large periods of time. But when my older sister Mizelle held my hand, we forged a mental connection. She guided me through the meditation, and with her there I could focus. You two _can_ do this. Together."

Kendra made eye contact with Seth, and they both nodded.

"Let's do this," Seth said, reaching for Kendra's hand.

Kendra sat down next to him and squeezed his hand. "Close your eyes," She instructed.

Kendra reached out with her mind like she had done hundreds of times before, feeling the layers fade away. This time, she felt Seth's presence beside her, and somehow knew he was seeing what she was seeing. There was Vanessa, in front of them, halo swirling around her head. _Can you see the darkness?_ Kendra asked with her mind.

 _Yes_. Kendra heard the words just as she heard when the Fairy Queen spoke to her. They resounded not captured by her ears but by her head.

Kendra couldn't sense what Seth was doing, but the darkness slowly dissipated. Vanessa's halo faded, leaving only a slight tinge of darkness to her aura. Sighing in relief, Kendra opened her eyes. "Great job, Seth." She said.

Bracken helped both Kendra and Seth stand. "She looks free of all darkness." He commented. "You guys are amazing."

Kendra frowned slightly. "Her aura isn't neutral. It's still slightly tinted with darkness."

Bracken smiled easily. "That's because she's a narcoblix. Had you not noticed that before? Part of the reason there's a rivalry between blixes and unicorns is because blixes are creatures inclined to darkness. However, that doesn't make them creatures of darkness. There's a difference." He explained.

Leaning down, Bracken placed his fingers on Vanessa's temples. Groaning, Vanessa opened her eyes.

"Welcome back," Bracken said, easing her into a sitting position. Do you remember anything?"

Vanessa grimaced. "Every moment. I feel like I have a hangover. A really bad, post-darkness hangover."

Seth sniggered.

Vanessa shot him a weighted glance. "I wouldn't be laughing if I were you. I felt that thing that had me, and whatever it is really wants you guys under its control. And I don't mean to alarm you, but after the stunt Seth just pulled by bringing me back, I'm sure he's next on its list."

Kendra knew Seth would never admit his face paled at Vanessa's words.

* * *

As Vanessa led them back through the woods, they walked in tense silence. They didn't know what dangers could lurk around every tree or clump of bushes. Vanessa had said that they were lucky to have gotten out alive. All of them, not just her.

As they walked, Bracken and Kendra brought up the rear. Kendra grabbed his hand and squeezed it, needing comfort.

"We're going to be okay, Kendra." Bracken assured her. "I am not going to let anything happen to you or your brother. I promise."

That didn't comfort Kendra. A promise like that meant that he would go out of his way to save either of them, and potentially endanger himself in the process. "No," She met his eyes so he could see how serious she was. "Bracken, I need you… I need you here because _I need you_. And I can't have you making any sacrifices or prioritizing me over your own life because I can't lose you. So, please…"

Bracken fought a smile forming on his lips. "But prioritizing someone else's needs over yours is what happens when you fall in love with someone." He said, gauging Kendra's reaction.

Kendra breathed in sharply. "Did you… did you just…?"

Bracken lost the fight, the wide smile making his eyes seem to laugh. "I believe I did. I have fallen in love with you, Kendra Sorenson. And I couldn't regret it in a million lifetimes."

Kendra mirrored his smile. "I love you, too. Although, technically I already told you."

Bracken gasped in mock disagreement. "No! I said it first. You just said it now."

Kendra laughed. "Bracken! You _know_ that I was on the verge of telling you when we got interrupted by Warren."

Bracken held up a finger. "Ah, but being _on the verge_ of saying that you love me is not the same as actually _saying_ that you love me. So I said it first."

"But I had the intention of saying it first!" Kendra objected.

Bracken sighed happily. "Fine. You had the first intention of saying it, but I said it first. Deal?"

Kendra laughed. "Deal."

Bracken slowed on the path as they neared the edge of the woods. "Can I kiss you?"

Kendra's smile widened as she slowed next to Bracken. "Of course. For the next million lifetimes."

Bracken leaned down slightly and gently pressed his lips against Kendra's. The kiss was sweet, but short, as Seth called, "Gross. That's my sister."

Kendra pulled away, smirking. "Sorry," She whispered, lips a fraction of an inch away from Bracken's.

"I am using every inch of my self-restraint to not kiss you again," Bracken murmured, brushing a strand of hair away from Kendra's face.

"And I am going to use all of my self-restraint to pull away from you right now," Kendra said, reluctantly taking a step back.

"Get a room, guys," Seth said, rolling his eyes. "One that doesn't include an involuntary front-row seat for your younger brother, please and thank you."

Vanessa sat on a low branch of a tree maybe five feet off the ground, staring at them with pursed lips. "I'd really like to make it back to camp so I can take some very strong pain relievers, but if you two want to stay here and get yourselves killed while making out, I can let you be."

Kendra pressed her lips together. "Are you done being all self-righteous? We just saved you, you know."

Vanessa chuckled, hopping down from the tree in a fluid motion. "Let's go, kids."

* * *

As they emerged from the woods, Vanessa turned. "Anyone got a phone?"

Kendra shook her head. "It's against the rules to take your phone out of your cabin." She reminded Vanessa.

Seth pulled a phone out of his pocket. "Almost lost it in the woods when you stuck me with a dart, but I picked it up when I woke up."

Vanessa rolled her eyes and took the phone. "It's a little past 12:00, we started the scavenger hunt around 10. Do you think they're looking for us?"

Bracken shrugged. "I've never done a scavenger hunt before. How long do they usually take?"

"Depends," Kendra said, chewing on her lip. "I think if they were looking for us they'd know-"

A figure came sprinting towards them from around the side of the nearest building: the sports center. They watched as the figure ran halfway across the baseball field until Vanessa jolted and started sprinting to meet the figure.

"It's Warren," Kendra realized as the Vanessa met him fifty feet away. Vanessa launched herself at him, and Warren pulled her into a tight hug. After a moment, she stepped away and looked up at him. He asked something and she turned towards Kendra, Bracken, and Seth. Together, they walked toward the group, Warren's arm draped around her shoulders like he was scared to let go.

When Warren got closer, he pulled Seth into a quick hug then held Kendra at an arm's length, examining her closely. "Are you okay?" He asked, his voice sounding a little hoarse.

Kendra wasn't going to forget the fact that she was still mad at him, but she let herself be pulled against him. "I'm fine, Warren."

When Warren finally let go, he cringed at the group. "You guys are in so much trouble. Your grandfather's pissed, Kendra." Frowning, he looked at Kendra, Seth, and Bracken in turn. "I should've stopped this when you guys came up with the idea. I should've known you guys would do something. God, and you two came to me basically saying you were going to run off to explore. I was so stupid, and I'm sorry."

Seth scoffed. "We did what we set out to do. We got valuable information."

Warren's eyes hardened. "And how many close calls did you have? What happened in there?"

After a moment of silence, Seth said, "We shouldn't really talk about what happened out in the open. Maybe we should get everyone together so we don't have to tell the story six thousand times?"

"Everyone's fine," Kendra reassured Warren, "Seth was put to sleep but he's okay, Bracken and I didn't even get hurt, and Vanessa should be okay."

As soon as Warren's face fell Kendra knew she said the wrong thing. He whipped his head towards Vanessa, who sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "What happened to Vanessa? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. We're not talking about it in the open, remember?" She said.

Warren shook his head. "Then let's get to the others, who are out all over this god-forsaken camp looking for you, by the way."

Bracken tensed. "Please tell me no one went into the woods."

"Elise and Mara volunteered. Everyone freaked out when we realized you guys were missing, and we couldn't just ignore looking in the woods." Warren said.

"Did you tell anyone you knew where we were going?" Seth asked.

Warren scratched the back of his head. "Not exactly."

"Warren!" Kendra exclaimed.

He shrugged. "I implied that you guys would be in the woods, but I didn't let on that I knew exactly where you were."

"You were just saving your own hide," Vanessa smirked. "But I appreciate you coming to find us."

Bracken turned to Kendra. "Both Mara and Elise could be infected." He muttered under his breath.

"Does this mean we go back in for them?" Kendra asked.

Bracken pursed his lips. "It's not safe for them to be in there. But it's not safe for us to go after them alone."

"So what do we do?"

"Is everything okay?" Warren asked, looking back suspiciously at them.

"Yep. Let's start walking back, okay?" Kendra suggested hastily.

Shooting Bracken a grave look, Kendra began walking with the others.


	13. Chapter 13

"I'm afraid I don't understand," Kendra's grandfather said gravely, staring at Kendra. "What made you think you could disobey my orders and go into the woods? What inside of that intelligent, logical brain of yours justified the potential positive outcome against the array of potential negative ones?"

"Grandpa, we were making calculated risks," Seth insisted, "It wasn-"

Grandpa held up a hand. "I was asking Kendra."

Kendra knew her grandpa was being harsh because he was angry, and that he was angry because he had been scared they were dead. But he had never used that tone with her. He used it with Seth on occasion, but never her. And that made her chest ache deeply. "I saw a chance, and I took it," Kendra said calmly. "Looking back, yes, it was very dangerous. But we only know that because we have a new perspective! We were wandering blind, grandpa. We had no information, and if we would have continued blindly someone would have gotten really, really hurt."

"And now you have the information to eliminate the threat we're facing?" Her grandfather asked dubiously. "Your dangerous journey into the woods solved all of our problems, did it?"

Kendra took a deep breath, glancing at Bracken, who was sitting on the couch next to hers. He gave her a tiny nod, the best she was going to get surrounded by her friends and family. "I do not regret my actions. And if you'll just let us tell you what happened, maybe you'll start to see that we've gained an advantage."

As soon as everyone had returned from their searches for Kendra, Seth, and Bracken, they had gathered in the office in the Mess Hall. Kendra had been shocked when her grandfather had started with criticizing them instead of hearing their point of view first. But she had been too preoccupied with trying to figure out if Mara and Elise were infected with the darkness to protest much. Luckily, from what Kendra sensed they were both okay.

Kendra's grandmother laid a hand on his shoulder, giving him a meaningful look. Her grandfather hesitated, then waved for Kendra to continue.

"Our intention was to head in the direction that I sensed the darkness yesterday," Kendra began, pausing as she heard Trask mutter, "Right into the wolves' den."

Fighting the urge to glare at him, Kendra grit her teeth and continued, "We walked from the stables into the woods, then in the general direction of the riding field, the farthest one in the corner of the camp that isn't used much. We had to stop after a while because Seth was hearing these voices-"

"Again?" Tanu interrupted, looking at Seth in concern. "Do you need me to check you out?"

Seth shook his head, waving at Kendra to keep talking. "Seth was hearing voices and he had a headache. It made him nauseous, and he got really pale."

"It was like a bunch of people were shouting at me, but I didn't hear it with my ears," Seth said. "It was in my head."

Trask tilted his head. "How many voices would you say there were?"

Seth shrugged. "I don't know. It was painful, and I wasn't really focused on counting them."

"If you had to guess?"

Seth bit his lip. "Seven? Six, maybe?"

"Could you tell if they were male or female?" Dale asked.

Seth tried not to look annoyed, but Kendra saw through his shoddy poker face. "Like I said, I wasn't really focused on specifics. I just wanted them to shut up."

"How about distance? Could you tell how far away or how near they were?"

"Obviously, he was distracted by the pain," Kendra snapped.

Dale's eyes widened a fraction of an inch, and he looked away from Kendra with hurt in his eyes. Kendra sighed. Now both Burgess brothers were upset with her. "Bracken asked Seth to point in the direction of the loudest one, and Seth pointed behind us. To Vanessa," She continued in the calmest tone she could muster.

Everyone turned to Vanessa, obvious concern and fear etched on their faces. Vanessa nonchalantly waved a hand at Kendra, urging her to go on.

Kendra hesitated, frustrated that everything she seemed to say upset someone. Why should she keep talking if it would just make more people mad and her grandparents more disappointed?

"It didn't take us long to realize that Vanessa was under the influence of the dark creature," Bracken said, glancing at Kendra meaningfully.

Kendra smiled gratefully at Bracken, and zoned out as he told the rest of the story. She could feel it, something deep in her bones telling her that there was something she was missing. It was like those connect-the-dots puzzles her teachers used to hand out in kindergarten, except the dots had no numbers to tell you what order to connect them in and she was too focused on one cluster of dots to see the whole picture.

Whenever Kendra had felt this way in her first year of high school, whether it was about a homework assignment, an argument with a friend, or a problem at Fablehaven, she took a step back and returned to the problem at a later time. She couldn't do that here, as taking a step back could lead to the creature winning. The stakes of their failure had been raised today. If she failed her family, they would die. This was no longer a trivial disturbance her family had been sent to correct.

What was she doing wrong? What wasn't she seeing? Did she need a new set of eyes? It couldn't hurt. But who? She couldn't talk to anyone at camp about this world she was now fully immersed in. They'd either think she was crazy or worse, they'd believe her.

She was trying so hard. She had done everything that had been asked of her. She made friends. She had talked to the girls in her cabin. She'd even gotten particularly useful information out of Lili. Of course, since her awkward, confusing conversation with Kylie at the movie night yesterday, she didn't know how credible that information was.

"Oh my god," Kendra barely whispered the words, their echo a ghost on her lips. The only person who turned was Bracken, who stopped mid-phrase and leaned toward her.

Kendra took a deep breath. "I think I might know what's going on here."

Almost everyone's eyebrows raised.

"I mean, if you think about it, everything points back to one person. Who was with Genna in the woods that day she fell down the hill? Who was the only other person awake that morning when the creature tried to gain control of me through Eva-Marie?" Kendra blinked slowly, kicking herself for not realizing sooner. If she hadn't gotten distracted with Bracken, if she hadn't been more focused on her powers than the mission… stupid, stupid, stupid.

"And I should have known a lot sooner. I cornered Lili about what happened that day in the woods, and when she explained herself I just believed her," Kendra admitted, "I totally forgot that Kylie suggested Lili wasn't who she seemed at the movie night. Guys, I'm so sorry!"

Bracken's face softened. _Stop blaming yourself,_ His eyes seemed to say. _We know now, and it's going to be okay. Everything's alright._

Immersed in Bracken, Kendra jumped as the phone in the corner of the room rang. Her grandfather quickly stood to answer. He was too far away for Kendra to hear the other person's voice.

"Camp Nightingale, how may I help you?" He said brightly, assuming the role of avid camp director. Then his posture shifted, and his tone became normal. "Oh, yes." A pause. "Are you sure?" Longer pause. "Okay. I'll pass along the news. You, too. Goodbye."

As grandpa placed the phone back, his eyes narrowed. Struck with an idea, he hurried to his desk, ignoring Warren's "Who was that?" His face had visibly paled, and he shuffled in one of the desk drawers. After a moment, he pulled out a thick manilla folder, flipped through the pages, and froze. His lips tightened. "I just received news that the Knight that reported this mess was found dead in his bed this morning. He was younger, in good shape. No evidence of foul play, no evidence of dark magic. It doesn't make sense."

Raising a slightly wrinkled hand to his forehead, grandpa seemed to age years in mere seconds. "And Lili Deru is his niece."

* * *

Sitting on a top bunk bed in Koala Cabin, Kendra leaned her head back against the wooden cabin wall and sighed. "Are you upset with me for forgetting my conversation with Kylie?" She asked.

Bracken wrapped his arm around her shoulders, holding her close to his body. "Of course not."

Kendra didn't respond, choosing to wallow in her frustration.

"Hey," Bracken said softly, angling his upper body so that he was facing her. "You're doing the best you can. No one is asking for anything more than that. Stop putting so much pressure on yourself to be perfect."

Kendra sighed. "If any of you would've died, it would've been my fault for _forgetting_ that I had valuable information."

"No one's dead, right?" Bracken countered.

After a long pause, Kendra started to pull away. "We should be training."

Bracken tilted his head thoughtfully. "You're right. We need to get your mind on something else."

Kendra pulled away farther, shifting as if to jump off the bed, when Bracken grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "What are you-?" Kendra began.

Bracken leaned forward and gently brushed her lips with his, so light.y Kendra barely felt it. Her stomach, however, fluttered with the wings of a thousand butterflies.

When Bracken pulled away far too quickly, Kendra shook her head, grabbing his hand and leaning forward. "More," She said simply, closing her eyes.

Bracken however, did not budge. "You'll get the rest when you promise to stop blaming yourself."

Kendra frowned. "Fine."

Bracken raised a palm and cupped her cheek, tracing her cheekbone with his thumb. "I don't believe you."

Kendra sighed again, this time with a hint of a smile on her lips. "I solemnly promise I am not blaming myself for forgetting to tell you guys that I had more information." She said begrudgingly. "Better?"

Bracken chuckled, shaking his head as he leaned in. Their lips met, and Kendra stopped thinking for a while.

* * *

Kendra stood in the middle of the sports arena, looking at each option for today, disappointed. She could try indoor rock climbing? But she could do that outside later. Plus, it's not as thrilling inside. She could play soccer with Bracken and Seth and a few other kids from varied cabins? But that would just be a chance for her to embarrass herself. Kendra settled on a small, empty station in the corner of the rectangular arena. Smiling to herself, she headed over to the in-ground tumble track.

As she stepped up to the mat in front of the long trampoline, she absentmindedly traced a scar on her lower forearm. The last time she had tried tumbling was almost six years ago. Kendra had fractured her ulna and growth plate in her wrist, so her doctor had to insert pins into her arm surgically. She had quit gymnastics and decided to focus more on soccer, until she quit that too to focus on school.

Exhaling, Kendra power-hurdled herself into a round-off. Her rebound was pretty high, so she reset at the beginning of the tumble track. She copied her previous run, adding a backhandspring after the roundoff.

Within minutes, Kendra was throwing herself into complicated passes of flips and handsprings, not really caring that many campers had turned to look. Tumbling on the trampoline wasn't nearly as cool as tumbling on the floor, but to Kendra it was just as thrilling.

As she fell for the third time after a roundoff double backhandspring back tuck, she brushed the hair out of her eyes and turned to find Lili standing on the side of the trampoline.

"Those backhandsprings are pretty, but try to throw yourself farther back. Right now, you're throwing up and undercutting just the slightest bit, so your back tuck is shaky." She suggested.

Kendra tried to school her features into happiness to conceal the pounding of her heart. "Thanks," She said, sitting on the edge of the track. "Were you a gymnast?"

"For eight years, yeah. Competitive gymnastics was my life. Then I had to get a hip replacement, and had to quit." Lili's tone was optimistic, but sadness flashed in her eyes. It took Kendra a moment to remember that she wasn't supposed to be pitying the probable suspect. Or talking to her at all, for that matter.

After her family meeting in her grandpa's office, she had rejoined the Turtle Cabin with Vanessa until she learned that it was their free period. She had immediately gone to Bracken, until they both had to come to the sports arena to meet their cabins.

"I never got far in competing. When I broke a bone, I gave up."

Lili's eyes flickered towards her hand, as if she knew the exact spot Kendra had broken her bone. "Your arm, right?" She asked, brows wrinkling in curiosity.

Kendra frowned, some deep instinct telling her that something was… off. She rose to her feet, directly facing Lili. "How did you know?"

Lili blinked. "You favor your right hand when you block. Makes your handsprings slightly crooked. That's why you never land in the center of the track."

Could Lili have known that based on the way Kendra tumbled? It was possible. But Kendra thought that was a little too… specific. And again, something inside of her insisted that Lili was dangerous.

Kendra's eyes drifted to the soccer turf, where Bracken had walked to the sidelines to get a drink of water. She silently pleaded he would turn around and look at her, to see who she was talking to and find an excuse to get Kendra away. But no such luck. After seconds, he set down his cup and jogged back into the game.

Lili followed Kendra's gaze and turned around with a slight smile on her lips. "No need for him to be brought into this, Kendra."

Kendra, brain still desperately searching for a way to excuse herself from the conversation, absentmindedly asked, "Who?"

"Your unicorn boyfriend, of course."

Kendra's blood chilled, sending goosebumps crawling across her skin. She forced a laugh, but it came out quiet and tense. "What are you talking about?"

Lili reached out a hand and rested it on her upper arm. To anyone else in the arena, it would look like friendly contact. But they couldn't see Lili's nails dig into Kendra's arm.

Kendra debated putting those self-defense classes Warren, Vanessa, and even Bracken gave her to good use, but Lili's next words made her freeze. "I have Elise and Trask. And my subjects are in position to take out that bumbling, oafish nurse Tag. But I suppose you know him better as Tanu, the potion master?"

"What do you want?" Kendra murmured.

Lili's sea-green eyes bore into Kendra's, the picture of innocence. "Your cooperation. And your silence." Lili shifted, intertwining her arm into Kendra's. "Walk with me?"

It was obviously not a request, but a command.


	14. Chapter 14

Kendra let Lili lead her out the front doors of the sports arena, praying that someone would see them walk away. Kendra knew that once she left the sports arena, there was little chance of her family knowing where to find her. Her heartbeats echoed in her head, making her squint as she stepped outside into the midday light. But Kendra was done playing the victim. She couldn't put Trask, Elise, or Tanu in danger, but she certainly didn't have to follow Lili peacefully.

Kendra stopped, merely feet from the sports arena doors. Lili whirled, eyes filled with fury. "What's your play?" Kendra asked, pulling her hand out of Lili's iron grip, "You're 14 years old. You really want to be responsible for the murder of three adults who want nothing more than the safety of the kids in this camp?"

"You stupid girl," Lili seethed, tilting her head to the side. "You come with me now, silently, or every word you speak will result in a cut on one of your precious Knights. I've always loved playing with knives."

Kendra inhaled shakily. Lili had given away more than she realized. She was familiar with the world of magic, which Kendra could work with. She seemed slightly insane, which meant Kendra had to be cautious. She held up her hands, palms facing Lili. Kendra nodded, smiling cockily.

Lili frowned. "What?" She demanded.

Kendra's smile widened. Lili had taken the bait. She pointed to her mouth and shrugged helplessly.

Lili rolled her eyes. "Speak freely," She commanded.

"What makes you think you'll be able to take me where you want to?" Kendra asked, motioning to the camp buildings, "Chances are we'll run into someone that knows me, and they'll know something's wrong before I even say a word." Kendra needed to keep her talking. Every second they stood outside was more time for Seth, Bracken, Vanessa, or Warren to realize she was missing.

Lili smiled viciously. "What makes you think I'd be stupid enough to lead you through the camp? Believe it or not, this isn't my first kidnapping."

Kendra's mind reeled. Lili had to be taking her to the cave, which was in the woods on the other side of the camp. If they weren't going through the camp, they had to be going around it through the woods. Unless…

"There are tunnels underground, aren't there," Kendra breathed, shaking her head. Seth heard voices under his cabin merely days ago.

Kendra winced as Lili grabbed her forearm and pulled her towards a worn-down building to the right of the sports arena. "I did some research on your family, Kendra. In fact, I've been watching you for quite a while now. You're smart, but you've been distracted recently," Lili pulled open the door and pushed Kendra in ahead of her.

Kendra scanned the room, trying not to gag at the smell. It looked like an old camp bathroom, with two crooked stalls and a sink with a rusted faucet. At the far end of the room was a door with a keyhole under the handle.

Sure enough, Kendra turned as Lili closed the door behind them, pulling out a key. "I thought you would catch on much sooner," Lili continued, jabbing Kendra in the back with the key. Kendra walked to the door, Lili inches behind her. "But you and your unicorn kept each other pretty well occupied, I guess. Even so, I've had plans to take you out of the picture since day one. You, and your insufferable, immature brother."

Kendra knew she could do nothing but watch as Lili unlocked the door and pushed it in, revealing a set of concrete stairs descending into dimness. The smell of stagnant water and wet earth rose from below.

"After you," Lili said mockingly, motioning towards the steps.

Kendra started down the steps, trying her best not to slip and fall. There was no railing to hold, and about ten steps down the walls changed from concrete to earth. Kendra had always been wary of going underground, too afraid that one day the earth would cave in and she would suffocate. But now, she was too worried for the safety of her friends to care. Who knew what was happening above ground while she was trapped below.

The stairs ended abruptly and Kendra stumbled, righting herself against the muddy wall. "Afraid of the dark?" Lili sneered.

Kendra realized Lili didn't know that Kendra could see in the dark. Apparently her reconnaissance on Kendra didn't pay off as well as Lili thought it did. Kendra could use it to her advantage. "How… how do you see down here?" She stuttered in a weak, unsteady voice, trying not to smile at the parallel between a stuttering demon dragon hiding his true powers and a stuttering fairykind girl hiding hers.

Lili pushed Kendra forward, and Kendra started down the tunnel, which continued as far as she could see. "I've walked these tunnels more times than I can count. And one doesn't need sight when their other senses are impeccable."

Kendra's pounding heart quickened. She started to wonder if she wasn't dealing with a 14-year-old insane girl after all, and something far worse. Kendra closed her eyes and focused, finding it much harder when walking than it had been in the field with Bracken. Hopefully, Lili would correlate any clumsiness with Kendra's inability to see.

After a moment, Kendra was able to see Lili's aura. Her stomach dropped. Lili was just a 14-year-old girl, and her actions were not her own. Like Vanessa had been, Lili was currently under the influence of the dark presence Kendra had sensed in the woods. And Kendra was being led right into the dark creature's lair.

Kendra opened her eyes, trying not to sob. Not only were her friends in danger, but now she had to figure out some way to save the girl currently holding her hostage. She assumed the creature could see through the eyes of those it controlled, or at the very least it could probably communicate with them somehow. That might be what Seth heard- the voice of the creature instructing it's minions from the cave.

Kendra continued to walk along the tunnel, alert to Lili's footsteps behind her. They passed another staircase similar to the one that led them down into the tunnel system. Kendra slowed, eyes widening, but Lili shoved her forward. "Don't even think about it," She warned.

Kendra wasn't pushed away fast enough to miss the words written in the fairy language on the last concrete step: "Preserve Dungeons, Do Not Enter".

"That leads up to a forgotten closet in the mess hall. It's locked, so if you try to escape through the door you'd be trapped," Lili chuckled, her steps a constant rhythm behind Kendra. "It would've been funny to give you hope only to watch you become devastated, but we're behind schedule."

Kendra tuned her out, mind reeling. Preserve was oddly specific. Kendra knew that the five hidden preserves weren't the only preserves that existed. She knew there were other preserves across the US, but her grandpa would've known if the camp they were visiting had once been a preserve. He would've told them.

"You say you know about our family, so you must know the truth of the world we live in," Kendra said, trying to hide her wince. It was risky, calling the bluff of whatever creature Lili had been possessed by. Kendra didn't believe speaking would truly result in her friends coming to harm, and she needed to know what exactly the creature knew.

Lili sneered. "I'll know more about magic than you'll ever know, fairykind or not."

"It must have taken you years to learn that much, then. When did you start learning, Lili?" 

"When I was eleven years old. It seems like forever ago."

Kendra stilled, remembering they had just received news Lili's uncle had died under suspicious circumstances. "Did your uncle teach you?" She asked quietly, hating the fact that she could wield the news of his death to her advantage.

Kendra swore she heard Lili's steps falter. Only for a moment, then they returned to their rhythmic pace.

"We're almost there. Keep your mouth shut or I'll fillet your friends." Lili warned.

The tunnel curved to the right, and started ascending. The soft dirt floor became rocky, and Kendra's shoes sunk into the soft clay. A book she once read about Fablehaven's caves tugged at her memory, and Kendra remembered that in caves a protective layer of clay and soil covers rocks underneath. She had been right. Lili was leading her right to the cave of the creature.

A faint light spilled in from up ahead, casting shadows on the walls now comprised of jutting rocks and stones. Kendra wanted to know how many people were in the cave, but she didn't dare reach out with her mind for fear of the darkness attacking her again.

She clenched her fists, steadied her breathing, and walked confidently towards the source of the light, if only to face what she had to face head-on.

When Kendra turned the corner, she blinked as her eyes adjusted to the harsh sunlight spilling in from the opening of the cave. When she could see, she dug her fingernails into her palms to keep from showing any of her devastation on her face. Trask and Elise were bound and gagged, both unconscious on the right wall of the spacious cavern. On the right side, six campers stood along the wall, blank-faced. And in the middle of the cavern stood a creature so horrifically beautiful that Kendra could only stare, open-mouthed.

"Kendra Sorenson," The creature said, its voice a melodic purr powerful enough to rumble across the cavern. "I'm so glad you've finally arrived."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: This chapter does get dark. Death and pain are mentioned, and the ending is extremely dark. Know that I have a plan, I know where this is going, and I will post as soon as possible!**

Kendra stood, transfixed by the swirling void of inky blackness that surrounded the ice-white, gorgeous creature that resembled a woman, perhaps in her early 20's. Her jet-black hair hung to the middle of her stomach, and it stirred as if the moving blackness created a slight breeze.

The woman walked elegantly to Kendra, pausing to study her. "I have to admit, darling, you don't look like the type of girl to pose a threat to anyone. Much less the Demon King."

Kendra's eyes darted around the room and fell to Elise, who was stirring. If she kept the woman's attention on her, there was a chance Elise could escape. "I suppose appearances can be misleading," Kendra said, refusing to lock eyes with the woman. If the darkness was transmitted through eye contact, and Kendra found it hard to resist when it was transmitted through another person, Kendra could only imagine how much power it would take to resist it directly.

"Go ahead, look at me. I'm sure you'll be able to resist me yet again," The woman purred, circling Kendra. Out of the corner of her eye, Kendra saw the woman wave a hand at Lili, who joined the six campers standing against the wall.

"Why would I look at your face when you have such pretty shoes?" Kendra said mockingly, glancing again at Elise. Elise was now sitting up against the wall, and she made eye contact with Kendra. Before the woman could follow Kendra's gaze, Kendra resumed studying the floor.

"It's a shame that I'll probably have to break you to take control of you," The woman drawled, stopping in front of Kendra. "We could have more fun if you join me willingly."

"How about you tell me what you're planning, and I'll consider it?" Kendra asked, raising her chin the slightest bit, keeping her eyes trained on the floor. "Although, I'm not very inclined to work with someone I can't even look at."

The woman chuckled. "Like I said, you can look at me. I highly doubt eye contact will be enough to change you. It's really a test of your power, not mine."

Kendra risked a glance at Elise, who widened her eyes. She motioned at the children across the cavern, then at the woman. Kendra didn't even question how Elise had already freed her arms from the ropes as she shook her head, confused.

The woman took Kendra's head shake as a response to her claim. "Kendra, the Demon King Slayer, hand-picked by the beloved Fairy Queen, relative of the famed Patton Burgess, is _scared_ to look a woman in the eye. How entertaining."

"If I agree to look you in the eyes, and somehow manage to avoid being turned into one of your evil minions, will you tell me why you brought me here?" Kendra asked.

The woman stilled, black-heeled shoes tapping against the floor of the cave. She was now close enough for Kendra to feel the darkness swirling around her.

"I think that's a deal I can make." The woman agreed.

Kendra shot an apologetic glance to Elise, hoping that if she was unable to resist the darkness Elise would find a way to escape with Trask. She found Elise pointing intently at the woman, then at the children. Then Elise pointed again at the woman and mimicked braiding her hair. Kendra looked away, more confused than ever.

"If I succeed, will you let Elise and Trask go?" Kendra asked, knowing the answer. But every second she wasted was more time for her friends and family to realize she was missing, and hopefully come find her. And, every second was more time for Elise to free herself and escape.

The woman laughed. "Audacious little girl, aren't you?" She said, delighted, "Unfortunately, I can't make that work. But you knew that, didn't you?"

The woman snapped her fingers, and Kendra watched in horror as the children moved as one across the cavern, to where Elise was cutting the ropes binding her legs with a pointed rock. Two children held her legs, two others held her arms, and they retied the ropes. Kendra wanted to shout for Elise to fight, to get out of their grasp, but Kendra realized Elise knew these kids weren't acting on their own. They were innocent campers who asked for a summer at a fun, family-friendly camp, not to be possessed and held hostage. Elise would never hurt them.

Then a boy Kendra's age picked up the rock Elise had used to cut through the rope and smashed it against Elise's head. Elise crumpled instantly.

Kendra choked back a sob, tears welling in her eyes.

"I've demonstrated how easily it is for me to hurt the people you care about, yes? The only way for them to survive this is if you listen to me. It's inevitable that you'll join me at the end of all this," The woman waved a hand aimlessly, "but perhaps not all of your friends must die. Maybe I'll spare the unicorn, as valuable as he would be to me."

Kendra looked up, meeting the woman's charcoal eyes. Kendra didn't see the darkness pour out of the woman, but she certainly felt it, and tendrils of the dark vortex swirling around the woman reached out to Kendra, curling around her body. Images assailed Kendra, one after another, each more terrible than the last. Bracken leaving Kendra. Seth and Kendra standing at their parents' gravestones, their grandparents' gravestones. Kendra kneeling in front of Seth's gravestone, realizing how utterly alone she was. Bracken dying. Kendra living forever with nothing and no one.

Kendra gasped, unable to take in enough air.

 _Give up,_ An oily voice wormed its way into her head, a new onslaught of images with it. _Give up, and find peace. You can stop this with merely a word._

Kendra heard someone screaming, but it sounded so far away. Kendra and Bracken getting married, none of their family members present. Failed pregnancy attempts. Having a baby, only to lose it at three months old. Finally having three beautiful children, only to lose everything in a house fire.

 _I am the epitome of darkness. I am Death Incarnate. Join me, Kendra. Join me, and it will all end._

Next it was Kendra dying in hundreds of ways, feeling the pain every time. Cancer. Heart attack. Alzheimer's. Organ failure. Fifty other diseases. Hanging. Burning. Poisoning. Decapitation. Gunshots. Drowning. Suffocation. Car crash.

Pain was her past, present, and future. Time lost meaning. Happiness lost meaning.

Next Kendra saw images of what could be. Her and Bracken taking care of two children, rings on their fingers. Seth and Kendra inheriting Fablehaven together. Living in the Fairy Realm. Her father and grandfather walking her down the aisle together. Lives of happiness.

 _Join me, and this is possible. Anything is possible._

The edges of Kendra's consciousness blurred until she was unsure of where she was, who she was. All that existed was more images of pain, of loss, of darkness, and the promise of something _better_. Something _happier_. Kendra turned to the voice, begging to be delivered from the agony. And the voice welcomed her with open arms. Kendra lulled into a deep, relieving sleep, courtesy of the voice that still slithered inside her head.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hello, my lovelies! This chapter is from Seth's POV, so enjoy! We're nearing the end, and I've been thinking about continuing with this story after the main conflict is resolved, perhaps as a series of one-shots or just a few chapters of pure fluff at the camp. Let me know what you think!**

Seth paced inside his grandfather's office, his friends and family gathered around him. Kendra had disappeared in the middle of the day, and was now missing. No one knew where she went. Seth's regret was almost as strong as his fear. If he hadn't been so focused on his stupid soccer game, he would have seen her leave.

The adults were still speculating whether Kendra left voluntarily or someone forced her to leave. At this point, anything could have happened. She could have left the arena to go back to her cabin, and something could have happened there. No one saw anything, and there weren't video cameras anywhere in the camp.

The only person who might have felt worse than Seth was Bracken. He was sitting on the couch, head in his hands, paler than Seth had ever seen him. His attempt to locate Kendra with his mind proved unsuccessful. Kendra's aura had been significantly dimmed, either voluntarily or involuntarily.

And it wasn't only Kendra who was missing. Elise hadn't been at the arts center, which she ran, and Trask hadn't been in the sports arena. When they had checked the zip-lining and rock-climbing structures, Trask was nowhere to be found. Grandpa had said they had to assume Trask and Elise were either with Kendra or had been possessed by the creature.

"I'm still not certain we have the proper time frame for when Kendra left the sports arena," Tanu was saying, rubbing his temple. "Your session was the last of the day, from 4:30 to 5:30. But no one realized Kendra was missing until you reached the mess hall, when Vanessa counted her campers in the dinner line."

Bracken spoke up for the first time, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. "I remember looking over at Kendra once, and she was on the trampoline. No one else was around."

"Do you remember what time that was?" Grandpa Sorenson asked.

Bracken shook his head. "No. But it couldn't have been more than 20 minutes into the session."

Tanu sighed. "So Kendra could have disappeared anytime between 4:50 and 5:30."

Seth wanted to bang his head against a wall. Why were they all sitting here _talking_ when they should be out searching? "Chances are, Kendra was kidnapped. She would never walk away without saying anything to anyone," He argued, pausing his pacing to stare at Warren. If he could just get Warren on his side, then Warren could convince everyone else. Seth was used to not being listened to because he was 'impulsive' and had made 'bad decisions' in the past, so he knew the chances of anyone agreeing were slim.

"Unless she saw something or heard something and left to check it out," Vanessa countered.

Seth rolled his eyes, "Yes. Kendra Sorenson saw something suspicious and said to herself, 'Oh, I'll just go check that out, by myself, without letting anyone know.' I know my sister. I know that she's brave, but she's logical. She's been kidnapped once, and I'm telling you she's been kidnapped again."

Warren nodded his head slightly at Seth, opening his mouth to speak.

Then a tall, dark-skinned man walked into the room.

Grandpa stood from behind his desk immediately. "Trask," He greeted, eyes wide.

Bracken instantly straightened, making deliberate eye contact with Seth. Seth knew exactly what he was thinking: they had to make sure Trask wasn't infested with the darkness. But who was supposed to check? Kendra was the only one with the ability to sense the darkness.

 _You_. Bracken mouthed.

Seth shook his head. _I can't._

Bracken only stared at him, unconvinced.

"What happened to you, Trask?" Grandpa was asking, ushering Trask to one of the couches. Seth could see the suspicion in his grandpa's eyes from across the room, so he had no doubt Trask noticed it too. Which wasn't good, especially if they weren't talking to the real Trask.

"Where's Kendra?" Trask asked, eyes scanning the room. "I have important information everyone should hear."

Warren answered from his perch on the arm of a worn leather chair in which Vanessa lounged. "She disappeared an hour or so ago. Where were you? We couldn't find you."

Trask shook his head. "A little over an hour ago, I was at the zipline station testing the strength of the new line that I repaired yesterday, and I heard something from the woods. It sounded like a girl screaming."

Seth tried to remember Bracken's instructions from earlier in the woods. He closed his eyes, trying to reach his mind out towards Trask, but all he saw was the back of his eyelids.

"I grabbed my crossbow from the sports arena office and headed towards the sound. About a mile in, I found a trail and some tracks that resembled the sole of a human shoe. Some blood was splattered on the trail every so often, and I followed the tracks for another mile. Then they left the path, veering southeast deeper into the woods."

Seth tried again, to no avail. He inconspicuously tried to get Bracken's attention, but the unicorn was too busy staring at Trask apprehensively, his hands curled into fists. Seth quietly sat down on a plastic chair propped against the wall of the office, closing his eyes once more.

"I came across a clearing, and saw Kendra. She was tied to a tree, gagged, and a camper with blonde hair, who looked about Kendra's age, was holding a knife to her throat."

Bracken let out a tiny sound that might have been a sob.

Vanessa paled. "Lili," She breathed, "Lili came up to me in the beginning of the sports session and asked if she could go back to the cabin. She wasn't feeling well. I never considered…"

"Her uncle was murdered. She was involved in the original incident in the woods. I suppose our dark creature either is the girl or has taken the girl's form," His grandfather said.

Seth's mind reeled as he struggled to comprehend what he was hearing. Kendra was kidnapped by another camper who may or may not be a very powerful dark creature, bound and gagged in the middle of the woods, and he had no way of knowing if she was alive or not. If Trask's story was true, which they also had no way of knowing…

"Bracken," He said suddenly, shooting to his feet, "You were able to decide if Vanessa had been possessed by darkness. Can you check Trask?"

Trask's lips tightened grimly. "I'm clean, but I understand you having to check anyway."

Bracken shook his head. "I can try, but I haven't interacted with the darkness directly. Even if it is there, I might not be able to see it. This power is unprecedented, at least in my lifetime."

Grandpa waved a hand. "Then you check him, and if you don't find anything we treat Trask as a potential enemy. I'm sorry Trask, but we have to take precautions until we know what we're facing."

Trask nodded. "I'd do the same in your position, Stan."

Bracken stood and walked to Trask, then laid a palm on his shoulder. After a moment, Bracken sighed. "I sense nothing. Which means that Trask is an ally or that this power is somehow able to disguise itself."

Something tugged in Seth's gut, making him hesitate. A nagging voice in his head insisted that this whole situation was shady, and Trask's story didn't make sense. That voice was also the voice that told him to do things like raiding the nest of a troll or trying to catch a brownie in a jar, and it usually led him into trouble. But today, he felt the urge to trust his instincts.

"So we let Trask lead us to the clearing and save Kendra," Warren said simply.

"What if Trask is being controlled by the creature, which might be that Lili girl, and he's actually leading us into a trap?" Seth posed.

Trask sighed. "Look, I'm telling you all that I'm not possessed by the dark entity. But I understand that the logical thing to do is to not trust me until you can be sure. Having said that, Warren's plan is the most logical step here. If I'm not lying, you get to save Kendra and capture Lili, and if I am lying and it is a trap you might fall prey to the creature, but there are a lot of us. I'm sure that we can beat this, especially if it's just a little girl we're facing."

"Don't underestimate that girl, if she is in fact the dark creature," Bracken warned grimly, "Like I said, her powers don't compare to anything I've ever seen."

"Noted," Grandpa Sorenson said, "But at this point all we can do is sit in this office and speculate. Kendra is out there, possibly hurt, and I feel that taking action is better than waiting for more information. Warren, Vanessa, Tanu, Bracken, Dale, Mara, and I will follow Trask back into the woods. Ruth will stay here with Seth. Hopefully this mission will not only save Kendra, but will give us clues as to where Elise is."

Seth bristled. Even if he didn't believe Trask and he was certain this was a trap, he despised being left out. "Why am I not invited?" Seth asked.

Bracken turned to answer before Grandpa Sorenson could. "Because you are the only one with the ability to free someone of the darkness. If we go and it's a trap, then all hope is lost."

"But if Kendra or Elise are there and they've been possessed, then I can free them." Seth objected.

"You can't extract the darkness from anyone without Kendra's help. Stay here and practice." Bracken recommended.

Seth leaned back, a plan forming in his head.

Grandpa Sorenson spoke once more. "Everyone get their gear together and be back here in ten minutes. The campers are occupied for the rest of the night in the auditorium, so we have until tomorrow morning to get this mess sorted out."

As the adults cleared out of the office, Seth lagged behind, cornering Bracken just before he walked out the door. "I don't trust Trask."

Bracken nodded. "I don't either, but if there's the slightest chance he leads us to Kendra, I'll take it."

"Kendra wouldn't want you killing yourself in a failed attempt to find her. I really think this is a trap."

"Were you able to sense darkness inside Trask?"

"No," Seth muttered, "But-"

"Then stay here and practice," Bracken said, "And Kendra wouldn't want you to die, either. So don't do anything stupid."

Then Bracken was gone, too far away to hear Seth mutter, "Too late."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I really have nothing to say for myself at this point, do I? Other than I'm sorry for not posting in ages, even though you guys have been so incredibly supportive of me continuing this story. Well, I hope you'll forgive me, because I've been working on how this storyline is going to continue for a few weeks now, and I think I have a solid idea. Here's the next chapter, and I'm about halfway through the next chapter so it shouldn't be long before I post that one, too! (of course, my "shouldn't be too long" might end up being a year at this point. Sorry.)**

Seth's POV:

Ditching his grandmother was almost too easy, but that didn't make Seth feel any better about the situation he was in as he sprinted from the mess hall, glancing back every minute or so to make sure that his grandmother still hadn't discovered he was missing.

He knew where he ultimately needed to go, but he wanted to take a slight detour first. When he reached his cabin he glared at the cutesy koala bear on the door before hurrying to turn the knob and slam the door closed behind him. Was this the first place his grandmother would look? Maybe. But he couldn't go to the cave without being as prepared as possible for anything.

He walked through the beds and dressers, stepping over piles of clothes thrown on the floor. He would be the last to claim he was a neat, organized person, but the cleanliness of the boys in his cabin resembled the cleanliness of pigs. The cabin smelled like sweat and dirt every day that he'd been there, except for the night Connor, a particularly messy seventh grader, brought home meatballs from dinner. In his pockets.

The only positive of the filth was that Seth had a front row seat to watching Bracken slowly lose his mind. At one point, he would've placed money on Bracken skipping movie night and staying in the cabin to do everyone's laundry.

When Seth reached his dresser he pulled open the second to last drawer and lifted up a few clean shirts to grab a worn, stained cereal box. He dumped the contents on the bed, quickly scanning the meager supplies left in his emergency kit.

Before the flight, Seth had asked Bracken and Warren for advice on what to add to his emergency kit. Warren had gifted him a dwarven dagger, with a slightly curved blade and hilt that seemed to fit Seth's hand perfectly. Seth had found an old sheath for a dagger roughly the same size in Grandpa's office right before they left for the airport. He took the dagger and tried to replicate what he had seen in the movies by attaching the sheath to the waistline of his shorts. It wasn't entirely secure, but it would hold.

Bracken had given him a faestone, which appeared to be a white, unblemished circular stone until Bracken explained that it had the power to store energy, which could be used in later situations. He tried to explain the connection the stone had to purity and creatures of light, but at that point Seth was too busy admiring his dagger to pay close attention.

Seth put the stone in his pocket, scolding himself for refusing to listen to Bracken. He also grabbed some thin but sturdy rope and a vial of Tanu's renowned gaseous potion, putting them in the same pocket as the faestone.

He was wearing proper clothes for a mission like this; he couldn't exactly go marching through the camp in a full set of armour and expect to be stealthy, so an athletic shirt, shorts, and tennis shoes would have to do. He grabbed a jacket from his dresser, just in case he happened to be outside as it grew dark and chilly.

A noise echoed on the porch of the cabin, making Seth jump. He immediately sprinted past the remaining beds, through the cabin bathroom, and out the back door. As he closed it quietly behind him he paused, listening to the sounds from the porch.

He was almost positive it was his grandma by the way her footsteps sounded on the creaky floorboards. But, just to be safe, he waited until the front door of the cabin opened and closed before taking off once again towards the woods, where he could almost feel the cave waiting for him.

As he entered the woods and set off in what he believed to be the direction of the cave, he remained alert, ready for the voices to overpower him at any moment. When he'd gone into the woods with Bracken and Kendra, he'd managed to pretend everything was fine for a few minutes, to make sure his sister didn't make him turn around. Then they got within a few hundred feet of the cave, and the volume of the voices seemed to triple inside his head.

If that happened again, he needed to be ready. He couldn't count on Bracken or Kendra to save him now.

He should never have to count on anyone to save him. Ever. Wasn't that the point of his lessons with Warren, and Bracken when he was around?

Seth frowned, worried he might have spent too much time training with fancy weapons instead of preparing his mind and his powers for missions. How long had it been since he practiced shadow walking?

He shook his head. Of course he could look back from a terrible situation and see exactly what he should have done. Regret would help him accomplish nothing.

As he reached the fork in the path where he knew he had to start venturing deeper into the woods, and eventually off the path, Seth heard a distant rustle, seemingly in the direction that he had come from.

In a second, he had considered his options and practically launched himself into the nearest tree off the path, silently thanking his grandfather for the green jacket he had gifted him months earlier.

He waited, quietly, careful not to move a muscle to prevent the leaves from rustling. He had managed to get himself pretty far up into the oak tree, but if whoever was following him decided to look up he would not only be clearly seen, but he would be stuck. There was no way he could get out of the tree quickly without breaking a bone.

Seth figured he would address that issue when he had to.

No longer than a minute later, his not-so-stealthy tail came into view. He blinked. Why was a camper, around the same age as Kendra, following him through the woods? Weren't they supposed to be gathered in the auditorium? He had figured his grandma had followed him into the woods, maybe one of the Knights has lurked outside of the mess hall to keep him in line, but a random teenager?

The girl paused, staring down both of the paths in front of her. She fiddled with the end of her braid, slung over a shoulder, before facing the path that led to the cave and setting off at a brisk pace.

Seth waited until the moment she was out of sight before climbing down from the tree so quickly he scraped both of his palms and hit his knee so hard on the ground. As he landed, his eyes watered.

He brushed off the dull pain and hurried after the girl, careful to avoid stepping on any fallen leaves or branches. He had a feeling, deep in his gut, that something was seriously wrong. Why would a random camper be searching out the cave, unless she knew that something was going on? He knew this wasn't Lili; Kendra had pointed her out the moment after she became a potential suspect.

As the small clearing at the mouth of the cave came into view, Seth slowed. The girl was crouched beside one of the trees, staring at the ground. No, Seth realized as voices drifted towards him from the cave, she had turned her head to listen.

Seth suddenly realized he had almost reached the cave, and heard nothing. No voices, no commands echoing in his head and making him almost pass out.

Then a familiar voice cried out, and Seth lost all focus on the girl. He winced as he heard his sister scream at the top of her lungs. It was unlike anything he'd ever heard before. He couldn't remember his sister ever sounding so terrified, so hurt.

He broke into a sprint, arms pumping wildly at his sides, almost involuntarily. He couldn't hear that sound again. He had to get to Kendra.

Halfway across the clearing, something barreled into him from behind, locking his arms into place. He fell, hard, managing to twist himself so he landed on his side instead of his face.

The air rushed out of his lungs, and he laid still on the ground. After a moment of blind panic, in which the thought occurred to seth that this might be the end, he gasped and breathed in once again.

As soon as he could move, he kicked out at the form, surprised to find that the person deflected his feet and managed to pin his legs to the ground. So he reached up blindly, ready to claw his way free if he had to. _I have to get to Kendra._

As his palm met what felt like a cheek, a round face suddenly stared down at him. "Seth, _shh!_ " The girl that had followed him through the woods hissed. "I'm here to help you!"

Seth stilled, but placed a palm on his dagger anyway. The girl still had his legs pinned down, and he was still fighting to catch his breath, but if it came to a one-on-one he would be fine if he could unsheathe his dagger in time. "Then why did you just tackle me? That doesn't exactly scream 'I'm on your team.'"

She rolled her eyes, and Seth noticed a smudge of black under her left eye. Hadn't Kendra complained to him about one of the campers putting on makeup all the time?

The girl held out her palms to him, releasing his legs. Seth slowly stood, staring down at the girl, who didn't move.

"I swear, I'm here to help you save Kendra." She repeated, palms still raised, as if he were a police officer.

Seth added it to the list of careers he could consider. If he could pull it off at such a young age…

Then the girl's wide eyes glanced at the dagger at his side, and the thought evaporated. She wasn't scared of _him_ , she was scared of the dagger.

"What's your name?" He demanded.

The girl nodded, as if she expected that question. "I'm Kylie. I'm in your sister's cabin."

"Why are you here?"

She glanced towards the cave, still the length of a football field away. "I tried to warn Kendra earlier about Lili's odd behavior. I've been here since the start of camp, and when things go wrong, they always include Lili in some way or another."

"Why are you _here_?" Seth repeated.

"When they gathered all the campers in the auditorium, I knew something had gone wrong when neither Kendra nor Lili showed up. I was worried about her, and what Lili could have gotten herself into. But then half of the staff seemed to be missing. You're Kendra's brother. Once I realized you weren't in the auditorium either, I decided to check your cabin. You ran out the back, and looked like you were on a mission, so I followed you here."

Seth shook his head in disbelief. "It was _you_ who got into the cabin. I thought it was my grandma."

Kylie didn't even blink.

Seth motioned towards the cave. "Listen, Kylie. It's not safe for you to be here. There are… things going on that you wouldn't understand, and I really don't want you to get hurt-"

"I know more than you think." Kylie finally stood, looking down at Seth with her eyebrows raised.

Seth chuckled.

"I'm serious," she said, "for one, I know your family. I know where you guys are from."

Seth glanced urgently at the cave once more; he needed to get to Kendra but couldn't risk an innocent camper getting hurt. "Yes, we're from Connecticut. What, did Kendra tell you that?"

"I meant you're from a preserve."

Seth's heart pounded as he stared at Kylie with a face carefully devoid of all emotion. "I mean, sure, we have some animals on our property there, but-"

Kylie laughed hollowly. "I don't think many of the creatures on the preserve count as normal animals… well, maybe the satyrs. But that's not important right now. We need to get to Kendra."

Seth tried to keep his face devoid of any surprise that flickered inside him. Instead, he simply rolled his eyes and kept talking, kept pushing through the conversation so he could get to Kendra without putting Kylie in danger. "No, _I_ need to get to Kendra. You need to stay here."

Kylie held out an arm to stop him as Seth took a step towards the cave. "I know more than you about what you're facing. You might need my help to save Kendra."

Seth weighed his options. He didn't want to trust Kylie- he had been burned by trusting complete strangers before- but he also couldn't take the chance that Kendra could get hurt because he was too stubborn to accept help from someone offering it. If Kylie turned out to be a lying psychopath, as others had before, _he_ had the dagger. And he wouldn't let her get any more surprise tackles in anytime soon.

Sighing, he held out an arm. "You stay in front of me the whole time. If you even _try_ to do something suspicious, I'll chop your arm off."

Kylie gingerly shook his hand, rolling her eyes. "I promise you, I only want to help Kendra."

"I really, really hope you're not a psychopath."

Kylie's eyebrows furrowed, and she opened her mouth to say something, but she was cut off by another blood-curdling scream from inside the cave.

They set off at a sprint, Seth completely ignoring the fact that running with an unsheathed dagger was like running with the world's largest and deadliest pair of scissors (at least that's what Warren had drilled into Seth's mind). If he managed to die by falling on his own dagger, Seth supposed that would at least give Warren a hilarious story to laugh about at his funeral.

Kylie managed to keep pace, slowing down with Seth as they stood, hopefully out of sight, at the edge of the cave's mouth.

"Please," A female voice begged, "don't do this to her! Do it to me! _Please!_ "

Seth recognized Elise's voice after a moment with a jolt.

"One of my friends is in there," He whispered to Kylie. "She sounds like she hasn't been possessed yet."

Maybe Kylie's story bore some truth, because she didn't look confused at the mention of possessions. "What is Lili doing to Kendra?" She whispered back.

Seth shook his head. Whatever it was, he needed to stop it.

Seth shivered as Kendra screamed once more, the sound worse now that he was closer. He tightened his grip on his dagger and stepped around the side of the cave and into view, eyes widening at what they beheld.

Or, more importantly, what he didn't see. Lili was nowhere to be seen. Instead, black vapor swirled around the ankle-length dress of a pale woman facing away from the entrance of the cave, making the cave much darker than it should have been in the late afternoon sunlight. The vapor seemed to create a wind that drifted throughout the room, stirring the woman's long black hair.

Seth took a shaky step forward as he saw Kendra, crumpled on the ground, a few feet in front of the woman. The vapor almost blocked his view of her completely, but from what he could see her chest still rose and fell with the slightly ragged rhythm of her breathing.

A movement in his peripheral vision made him turn. Elise sat in a nook within the rock walls of the cave, her hands and feet bound with rope that was tied to a peg in the wall. Her eyes were wide, hair tousled, like she had put up a fight. Knowing Elise, Seth had no doubt the creature had a hard time taking Elise.

Kylie immediately ran towards Elise, pulling a pocket knife from a pocket in her shorts and nimbly freeing her hands in seconds.

Seth glanced towards Kendra and the creature, who seemed to be floating a few feet off the floor. Neither moved. Taking a deep breath, Seth ignored the urge to run to Kendra and instead helped Kylie free Elisa's feet.

Elisa stared at Seth with wide eyes. "The woman has control of six children. Forty minutes ago, they left as one. I don't know where she sent them."

Seth nodded, glancing around him for a weapon. He had a much bigger chance of defeating the creature with Elise by his side.

"Something she did to get me here weakened me. I can barely move. I won't be able to help you," Elise murmured, as if reading his thoughts.

"Does she have any weaknesses?" Kylie asked, gripping the pocketknife firmly in her palm.

If Elise was confused as to why Seth appeared with a random camper, she didn't let on. "Not that I've seen. Kendra… Kendra made a deal with her. If she could look into the woman's eyes and resist the woman's control, the woman would tell Kendra why she brought her here. But they've been like that for a while now."

Seth turned, and realized that the vapor wasn't separating Kendra from the woman. It seemed to be pouring into Kendra, which must be why she was screaming. He was running out of time, and so was Kendra. He walked forward, lifting his dagger in his hand.

And stopped as a wall of the vapor, which now appeared to be solid darkness, slammed into him.

The woman turned, her heels echoing off the rock walls of the cave. "Seth Sorenson," she said in a voice higher than Seth expected, as if she was announcing the players in her favorite sporting event. "I wondered how long it would take you to find us."


	18. Chapter 18

Seth instantly looked down, avoiding looking at the woman's face entirely. Instead he focused on a spot in the middle of her abdomen, where the vapor seemed to be spiraling out from.

"What can I say? I got stuck in traffic." Seth spared a glance at Kendra, only to find that the woman had blocked his view of her completely.

"Don't worry," The woman purred, taking a step forward. "I think your sister is strong enough to survive this ordeal."

"Why am I not entirely convinced?" Seth resisted the urge to step back, knowing that he couldn't afford to appear weak or scared.

The woman chuckled. "Your sister appeared to be stronger when I brought her here. I thought she would provide a bit of a challenge when I decided to break her."

Seth bristled at the words. "She's stronger than you think."

"Mmm," The woman hummed, as if acknowledging the idea of a child. " _You_ , on the other hand, would be an absolute delight to break. Difficult, and yet so rewarding."

"Yeah, I get that a lot." Seth didn't dare glance behind him. He had no idea where Kylie or Elise were. They could be behind him or they could be miles away from the cave, hopefully getting help.

Was it wrong of him to hope for the former? At least he wouldn't be alone. Besides, if Lili wasn't the true threat then Trask had most definitely led his friends straight into a trap. There probably wasn't any backup to find, unless Kylie organized an army of untrained campers.

"So you're not scared of me?" Seth asked, squaring his shoulders and daring to lift his gaze a fraction of an inch higher.

He heard the woman laugh, loudly and clearly. "Why should I be? I'm not the one who can't dare to make eye contact."

Seth considered meeting her eyes, but if she tried to corrupt him it could be game over. Somehow, she was on the verge of corrupting Kendra, if she hadn't already. Seth had thought that was impossible. Where was Bracken, the walking mythical knowledge encyclopedia, when he needed him?

"I have proven I can remove your control over other people." Seth shifted to his right, hoping to just glance at Kendra so he knew she was still breathing. He couldn't tell if the blackness was still directed at Kendra or if it had been redirected now that the woman had turned to face Seth.

He wished he could watch the woman's reaction, so he knew how to push this angle further. He had never been the best at verbal manipulation, he had always been the guy who got things done by taking action, usually without anyone's permission. Okay, scratch that. _Always_ without anyone's permission. He wasn't used to playing mind games with people, and that was certainly what this was.

"Yes, I've been meaning to ask you about that." The woman's voice was calm, uninterested.

"Well, how about we make this a civil conversation? I clearly know something that you want to know." Seth fought a grimace, knowing his next words were risky. "What can you give me in exchange?"

There was a tense moment of silence, in which Seth panicked, worrying he took it too far, but the woman laughed again, sounding shocked. "You're even more audacious than your sister," She remarked. "What do you ask of me, in exchange for you telling me how you freed the narcoblix from my control?"

Seth could almost hear Bracken warning him in his head that giving up that information was not a good idea, that if the woman didn't know how Seth freed Vanessa than that was something he could use against her. A plan slowly formed in his head as he considered what exactly he should ask for.

After a moment, he took a step forward, lowering his dagger. "For starters, I want this to be a fair conversation."

"How?" The woman sounded intrigued, which had to be a good sign.

"You can't lie to me, and I won't lie to you."

"Did you assume I would lie to you in the first place?"

Seth hesitated, but figured that he heard curiosity in her voice. She didn't sound offended. Yet. "I know nothing about who you are or where you come from. I believe it is only fair, since you obviously have the physical advantage in this situation, to speak honestly to each other."

There was another moment of silence, and then the woman said, "Alright. I-"

"I wasn't done." Seth took another step forward. "I want to be able to look at you as I talk to you."

"Why on earth would you care about something like that?"

Seth shrugged. "You can look at me. Why can't I look at you?"

The woman hummed. "You realize that if I allow you to look at me, I can-"

"Take control of me through eye contact, yes, I know." The woman's hand curled into a fist at her side, and Seth made sure he sounded more respectful as he continued. "How about this: if you let me finish this conversation in which I tell you how I broke your control of our narcoblix, I'll make you a different deal that will give you a chance to try to control me through eye contact."

"So, if I let you look at me, and we're both honest with each other, you'll tell me how you took the narcoblix back and allow me to attempt to control you through eye contact?"

Seth nodded. "Yes. But the eye contact thing is through a different deal that we'll negotiate after you follow through with the first deal."

"You humans are so… detail-oriented. You never fail to miss the bigger picture for a peek at what is in front of you."

"I sincerely apologize on behalf of humanity. Do we have a deal?"

"Yes."

Seth slowly raised his head, looking first at the woman's face while avoiding direct eye contact. Her skin was incredibly pale, not even the faintest blush colored her cheeks. If Seth didn't know any better, he would bet that the woman either didn't have any blood at all, or was formed from the blood of a different, probably much worse, creature.

Finally, Seth looked at her eyes. They looked similar to human eyes, except her pupils were much larger than anyone's Seth had ever known and her irises were almost black themselves.

Her eyes seemed to brighten in triumph, although Seth didn't know why. "See?" She waved a hand, "I carried through with my end of the bargain. Now you must carry through with yours."

Seth went through the motions of sheathing his dagger, nonchalantly patting his pocket as he did so. He felt the solid lump and almost sighed in relief. His one chance at his plan succeeding rested upon something Seth wasn't sure would work.

He looked behind him. Elise and Kylie were gone.

"Your so-called 'friends' ran away when I turned around." She mocked, her lips curling in a wicked smirk.

"They're probably the smart ones," Seth murmured, before facing the woman once again. "What can I call you? Since, you know, we're having a civil conversation. You know my name."

The woman raised a dark eyebrow, stark against her skin. "Names have incredible power."

"Considering I could have been called Sergio on this mission, I would have to agree with you."

"You may call me Silvia. Now, tell me how you managed to sever my connection to the narcoblix."

Seth exhaled slowly, as if he had all the time in the world. But, as his racing pulse reminded him, he certainly didn't. He risked a step forward, trying to skirt around Silvia to see Kendra.

She rolled her eyes, stepping to the side to block his view of Kendra. "If I would have known you would take so long to tell me your little secret, I would have simply assumed control of you and rooted through your mind to find out myself."

Seth blinked, seeing an opportunity. "You can root through people's memories?"

"If I break their will, anything is possible." Silvia pursed her lips, squinting her eyes as she looked at Seth. "However, I have found it incredibly difficult to break the wills of any of your people."

Seth couldn't tell if she meant his friends or humans in general. He didn't have the time to ask. "So, the narcoblix is an old friend of mine. She-"

"Skip the elaboration, there's no one coming to save you," Silvia snapped. "I want to know what you did. Why I felt my control of Vanessa slip through my fingers like water… like someone was pulling my power out of her mind. That shouldn't be possible."

Seth clenched a fist in apprehension. What he was about to do would either save the day or get everyone killed.

But he lifted his chin and stepped forward, saying with all the swagger he could muster, "You know, I'm not really happy with our deal anymore. I wish to renegotiate the terms."

The shift in Silvia's demeanor was immediate. Her eyes widened, her body practically shook with fury, but she managed to keep her tone controlled. "You are in _no_ position to renegotiate."

Seth made a show of tilting his head to the side. "Well, you see, you don't have any weaknesses-"

"Exactly-"

"Except," Seth interrupted, "The fact that my friends and I have a way of breaking creatures free of your power, and you don't know what it is or how we do it. That's a weakness, sweetheart."

Silvia's lips pinched into a tight line. "Who says I need to know that? I seem to be doing pretty well at this whole take-over-the-camp scheme despite that little 'flaw.'"

Seth stuck both of his hands in his pockets, the epitome of calm, cool, and collected. "You might not need to know. Who am I to see the future? But, hey, if that ends up being your fatal mistake, if my family and friends find a way to exploit that weakness and it ends up destroying you? That would be embarrassing."

"Your friends are walking into the trap I set for them, and things are going perfectly." She sneered, but Seth could see a shard of self-doubt threatening to shatter her mask of invincibility. He just needed one more push…

"Believe me, I get it. It this point, it's unlikely they'll find a way to use it against you."

Her smugness returned, and Seth leapt. "But, they've defied the odds before. Ever heard of the Demon King? We were the team that took him down. Now, I know you're probably smarter than the Demon King, but I just wouldn't want you making the same mistakes he did."

She smirked again, but Seth could clearly see the uncertainty in her eyes, in the way they moved from Seth to the cave wall and back, like she was thinking and rethinking. "I see what you are doing, Seth Sorenson. You're not my ally. Your deceit is dripped in honey. I can merely take control of you and you lose."

"But you wouldn't learn your weakness. You've already admitted you know I can't win," Seth pointed out, "So, where's the harm in letting me renegotiate a simple deal?"

She examined her nails, which Seth was alarmed to see were filed to sharp points. After a long pause, she rolled her eyes. "You're right. You lose anyway. What do you want?"

"I want you to break your hold on Kendra." There. It was out, and Seth would find out if all of his efforts would work.

Silvia turned, stepping to the side so Seth could see Kendra directly for the first time. He ran to her, kneeling on the ground beside her, placing two fingers on her neck.

A pulse. It was faint, and too slow for Seth's liking, but it was there. Her hair was knotted and tangled, her skin almost as pale as Silvia's, but she was alive. That was all that mattered.

"Free her from your control, and I'll tell you how I was able to free Vanessa from you." Seth glanced up at Silvia, who was watching them closely.

"Why can't you free her yourself? If you really have found my weakness like you said you have, what is stopping you?"

"The tool I need isn't with me right now."

Silvia scoffed, but tilted her head in compliance. "I suppose it doesn't really impact my long-term goal. I free Kendra, you tell me my weakness, then I simply assume control of both of you once again."

Seth laughed. "If you think you can catch us."

"Egotistical boy, aren't you? You won't get out of the cave before you're mine."

Seth had never been the religious type, but he sent a quick prayer to whoever might be out there, listening, that his plan would work and everyone would be safe.

"Fine. I'll make sure Kendra gets out of here no matter what."

Silvia closed her eyes, and Seth watched as tendrils of black smoke rose from Kendra's chest and returned to Silvia. After a few seconds, the smoke slowed and Kendra's eyes began to flutter. Her breathing hitched, then returned to normal.

"Kendra," Seth said, resting a hand on her shoulder and leaning over her, peering down at her face. "Kendra, wake up."

Silvia tapped a heel on the floor. "You have exactly ten seconds to start talking or I'll kill her."

So Seth retold the story of what happened in the woods, starting with how he heard voices and tied a powerful voice back to Vanessa as she approached the group. As he spoke he kept an eye on Kendra, who continued to stir.

By the time he got to the part he was wary to tell, where Kendra and Seth joined hands and Seth pulled the darkness from Vanessa's mind, Kendra's eyes were wide open.

She nodded, and, arms clasped together, they reached out as one with their minds towards Silvia.

 _How did you get her to free me?_ Kendra asked.

 _Long story. I used the fae stone Bracken gave me to revive your energy._ Seth had made sure to press it against her shoulder when pretending to fuss over her breathing, hoping that it would revitalize any creature of the light.

 _Still, she leached away almost all of my energy. We don't have much time._

As one, they marveled at the complex expanse of darkness in front of them. Tendrils sprung from Silvia like branches, reaching out in every direction towards those Seth assumed she had under her control.

 _We need to sever her connection to as many people as we can by drawing the darkness back into her._ Seth said.

 _Why? Nevermind, I trust you. But only you can manipulate the darkness, all I can do is guide you._

Even in his head, Kendra was already sounding fatigued. So Seth reached out towards the first tendril, envisioning it returning to Silvia, beckoning it closer to its master, like he had done with the darkness in Vanessa. But that had been different, Silvia haven't known what was happening. She certainly knew now, and was actively working against his efforts.

It might have been her power, her darkness, but Seth was a master of all dark magic. All he had to do was convince each branch of darkness that they wanted to return to Silvia, to abandon the weak host it had been occupying.

He moved as quickly as possible through the web of branches, discovering that once a tendril abandoned the people it was infecting, it couldn't return. Some were easier to convince than others.

By the time Kendra slipped away and Seth lost his control over seeing the tendrils of darkness, he had freed more than half of the people controlled by Silvia.

He opened his eyes to see Kendra at his side, unconscious. Silvia stood over him, her nails digging into her throat as she hissed, "I'll kill you for that."

Then, Seth saw a form that looked strangely like Kylie leap out from behind Silvia, pocket knife in her hand.

Seth's exhaustion hit him at once, and despite his efforts to get up and fight he drifted into unconsciousness, into a different kind of blackness that whispered all would be well.


End file.
